An Ogre God's Courtship
by oni-pineapple
Summary: A collection of moments between Ōdanna and Aoi, in which everything that Aoi receives from Ōdanna not only allows her to slowly fall in love with her ogre suitor, but also satisfies Ōdanna's dark desire to possess her - all of her.
1. My Eyes Always Stray To You pt 1

Moonflower, in the time that it has been open, had flourished since Hakkabou's publication exposed the small eatery. With its current success, partly due to the appeal of its apparent-style cuisine, not only was the restaurant constantly full of customers, including a personal request from the royal family's Nuinoin- _dono_ and his wife, Ritsuko- _sama_ , but its business also attracted customers to stay and delight in the Tenjin'ya's quality services and accommodations. Their shared business greatly pleased Ōdanna and, of course, Byakuya.

For days, after long hours of work and responsibilities, Ōdanna watched Moonflower vigilantly from beside the window in his room as the gleaming stars prepared for the moon's arrival. Every time customers would leave, Aoi would escort them to the entrance of the restaruant, whenever she could, to bid them farewell. Whenever she appeared at the door, his eyes would soften and shine and his lips always tilted up into a pleased smile, secretly relishing in her happiness and observing her hard at work. To him, her success was his success.

However, his delight in Moonflower's prosperity began to become overshadowed by his displeasure at the consequences of the eatery's success.

He noticed that Aoi worked long hours, waking up just as the sun began to emerge over the horizon, in order to begin food preparations, and working long after the sun had set, thus getting little rest. Ōdanna's calm demeanor creased with concern as he watches her bid farewell to group after group of customers, and he soon notices the telltale signs of her fatigue: her erect posture begins to slouch and the sighs leaving her rosy lips increases in frequency; even the small bags beneath her eyes appear more pronounce, as of late.

As Aoi disappears back into the restaurant once more, his gaze lingers before he turns to appreciate the night sky.

He ponders about what he can do to rectify her tiredness - he does not approve of it; the mere thought of his bride's weariness causes his brows to crease, the only intimation of his internal seething. While he felt compelled to approach her about the matter, he knew she would not heed his request, especially given her workaholic tendencies.

After long moments, Ōdanna lets out a resigned sigh and glances about the gardens, pinpointing Sasuke and the other Kamaitachis' locations. Assured that each are stationed in well-concealed spots, he relaxes a bit and focuses his gaze back towards Moonflower once more. However, he is stopped short, however, as he spots specks of white irises, illuminated by the moon's soft glow, peaking through the dark-green foliage.

"Ah," Ōdanna murmurs appreciatively, "the irises are still blossoming." Their appearance reminds him of the kimonos he had seen at the kimono shop in Youto that he and Aoi had visited when she first arrived in the Hidden Realm. The thought evokes memories of how stunning she was while wearing the indigo kimono with red camellias he had chosen for her, or in Tenjin'ya's soft lavender yukatas with lilac flower print, or even the vibrant green kimono she wears daily.

The memories cause a glint to illuminate Ōdanna's eyes, and the shadow of his room and his long bangs further enhances just how crimson they are, making him look very much like the Ogre God that he is. He instantly recalls the items he had purchased a few days ago, after a business meeting he had attended in Youto.

He strolls over towards the _chigaidana_ in his room, opens up one of the bigger cabinets and removes a large item. He then opens a smaller cabinet and rummages through them until he procures the items for which he is searching. He removes several things and inspects each item before stashing them within the sleeves of his _haori_.

After a few moments, he gracefully rises off the ground, carrying the items in his arms. However, an object sitting upon one of the shelves catches his eye. He studies it for a moment before he reaches over to grab it.

"These will do," he remarks as he walks over towards his _tsuke-shoin_ , which is on the other side of the room.


	2. My Eyes Always Stray To You pt 2

The moonlight was filtering through the leaves of the trees as the last customer left Moonflower. Aoi is all but ecstatic as she hangs up the "Closed" sign, internally grateful for the increase in business that Moonflower has been recently blessed with. She stands outside to appreciate the tranquility of the night before quickly going back inside.

Ginji and Kasuga had already left. Ginji had told her that he would be leaving early in the morning to meet with some food providers in the northern land, and thus had to leave to finish preparing for his trip; he had been most apologetic about not being able to help clean up. As for Kasuga, she also left earlier on because she needed to complete her responsibilities at Tenjin'ya before she could retire for the night. This left Aoi alone to do the clean up on her own, not that she minded since she was ever grateful for the support she and Moonflower have gotten.

Clean up is a usually time-consuming and tiring ordeal for Aoi, however her desire to get into bed motivates her, especially since she has the next day off. Her enthusiasm drives her to quickly finish washing and drying all the dishes and wiping down and resetting all the tables. Once she has finished up, she heads into her room to retire for the night.

While in the middle of preparing her futon, she is startled by the sounds of someone walking about outside the side entrance.

"Eh, who could that be?" Aoi finishes arranging her bedding then heads towards the entrance. She slides it open, welcoming the slight breeze that enters. However, no one's there. She walks onto the _engawa_ and glances out into the shadowed garden. However, she sees no one around.

"Strange, I thought I heard someone walking about out here," Aoi mutters to herself. As she moves to go back inside, she is astonished to notice an ornate chest sitting innocently in front of the sliding door off to the side.

"What is this?"

There is a small piece of paper attached to the top. Descending down to inspect the gift, she removes the letter first and reads the message written in elegant calligraphy:

 _It seems that Moonflower is doing well, good job. Keep up the good work._

 _However, you must take care of yourself as well._

 _I hope you find these things pleasing._

There is no signature from the giver, but it is unnecessary. Aoi rereads the message, touched by its sincerity, then gently stores the note away.

Since it is too dark outside to inspect her gift, Aoi begins to move the chest inside. After some effort, the chest itself being quite heavy, Aoi finally gets the chest into her sleeping room, but not without complaining.

"You would think he would place his gifts in a lighter container," Aoi grumbles as she closes the shoji door. Straightening herself up to stretch her aching back, she glances again at the chest, which appears more opulent and stunning beneath the light of her room.

"Well," she sighs, "let's see what's inside."

Aoi sits down before the box and takes a moment to truly admire the chest, her face radiating with amazement. While outside, she was unable to appreciate the beauty and decor of the wooden box, but bathed in the light of her room, the chest's magnificent is immediately apparent. The rich color of the wood is adorned with hand-painted patterns and intricate engravings of koi fishes along the sides and top of the chest. She opens the chest up and gasps in delight by its content.

Inside the chest, she finds a beautiful kimono. It is a soft blue color and is decorated with sangria and white azaleas. Beneath it, there are two bars of scented soaps, one citrus and the other jasmine, a new _tasuki cord_ in a pale pink color, and a bag of ripe peaches.

"Wow," Aoi breathes out as she admires the gifts, her eyes shining happily as she studies each item. "The kimono is so pretty," she lauds as she holds it up before her, taking in the details of the flowers. She carefully sets it back into the chest, then picks up the soaps, smelling each of them individually. "Waa, they smell so nice. Which one should I use? " Aoi's face twists into a thoughtful frown, her mind instantly burdened with a difficult choice. She then remembers the bath that Shizuna had prepared for her during her brief stay at Tenjin'ya:

 _"Hmm...I thought I smelled the sweet scent of citrus." Ōdanna breathed as he took in her scent. His eyes had an appreciative glint in them as he gazed at her. "Was it the sweet summer bath?"_

As if awakening from a trance, Aoi gasps at her lack of control, feeling embarrassed that she recalled that particular interaction with Ōdanna-sama. As if a dam was opened, she remembers the full-course the Chief Chef prepared for them before he left for the Apparent Realm, along with how she lingered, long after his ship was out of sight, and felt a strong longing to see him again, to hear his voice and to know she was safely in his presence...

"Aah, get a hold of yourself!" Aoi shakes her head, as if to shake off the thoughts that have infiltrated her conscience so easily. In an attempt to clear her mind, Aoi hastily makes a choice. "I guess I'll use this one tonight during my bath." She keeps the citrus soap while placing the jasmine-scented one back into the chest; she may be able to use it later on in the future.

Noticing how late it is getting, Aoi is spurred into action, getting up and grabbing the rest of her bathing things before leaving to head to the bath house. As she does so, she passes by Chibi, who is fast asleep on top of a pillow next to her futon. She giggles quietly, "What a follower I have, eating and sleeping to his content."

Aoi steps outside, closing the shoji door behind her. She looks up and spares a moment to enjoy the sight of the moon-lit night sky and relax a bit. The moon's beauty reminds her of the letter, which is still tucked safely within the flaps of her kimono. Her cheeks warm up as she remembers the contents of the letter.

Noting how late it is getting, Aoi quickly makes her way towards the bath house to bathe and unwind. However, she did not notice that as she made her way towards the baths, the glowing amber eyes of a certain master innkeeper followed her feminine figure until it disappeared from sight, both on her way to and from the bath house. Fortunately, she was spared the visage of the satisfied smirk he wore as he sat in the comfort of his rooms smoking his _kiseru_ , appearing very much like the fearsome _kijin_ he is.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

When Aoi returned, clean and dressed in a new yukata, she finishes preparing for bed. She moves the chest and stores in inside one of the closets. She then grabs the bags of peaches and goes into the kitchen to put them away. As she places them into a bowl, wondering what she could make with them.

"Does he like sweets?" She ponders out loud as she walks back to her room. "Is dorayaki his favorite food? But, he seems to like savory dishes also. Hmm, but it's hard to say what his preferences are. His demeanor doesn't make him the most approachable ayakashi either, although he's become much kinder as of late, not nearly as unforgiving as he was before. Ah..." Perplexed by her pointless rambling, Aoi flushes in embarrassment and shakes her head vehemently. "What am I even saying? Get a grip on yourself, Aoi!"

Aoi sighs, exasperated by how constant her thoughts stray towards Ōdanna-sama, and sits down upon her futon. She continues going through different recipes that could use the fragrant peaches. However, after spending endless minutes thinking through every dessert recipe she knows, she is unable to think of anything that she's either made or had that could well encompass the flavor peaches.

"Ahh, why can't I think of anything!" Aoi complains, running her fingers through her chestnut hair in an effort to calm down. As she looks down, the pink of her sleeping yukata against her white futon. The colors reminds her of a dessert she once saw in a store display while on her way to school.

"That's it," she exclaims, "I can make _that_!" She stands up and rushes out to find a piece of paper and her pen. She quickly writes something onto the paper and leaves it on her writing table.

"I'll need to get some ingredients tomorrow, though. Ah, but Ginji will be gone." Troubled by her predicament, Aoi stops writing momentarily, unsure of what she can do. Everyone will be busy given that the festival event is only a few days away, so who would be available whom she could ask to accompany her?

A certain ayakashi comes to mind.

"I guess I'll have to ask _him_ to accompany me." She finishes up, returns to her room, and proceeds to turn off the light before getting into her futon to rest for the night. As she settles in, she sighs contently as her body conforms to the soft futon. She closes her eyes and takes in a deep breath. The smell of oranges surround her, relaxing her further.

"Good night," she murmurs into the darkness as her tired mind finds solace in sleep.

 **Vocabulary** :

tasuki = a sash used to hold up kimono sleeves for convenience of movement

engawa = a veranda-like structure, running along the perimeter of traditional Japanese houses, that is often made of wood or bamboo

kiseru = traditional Japanese smoking pipe

*kijin = ogre god

*I'm using the translated term from the anime subtitles.

 **Author's Note** :

Thank you all for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. No interaction yet between Ōdanna and Aoi, but they'll interact soon. Next chapter will be posted in a few days, so please stay tuned for that. Please review - I'd love to hear what you guys think of the story so far!


	3. A Morning With My Wife

Aoi awoke the next morning before the sun had risen; surprisingly, she feels well-rested, more than she's felt the past few days. However, she doesn't reflect too much on this fact and hastens to get ready. She washes up and puts on the new kimono. As she ties her obi, she goes to grab her usual tasuki, she recalls the new one she received last night and grabs that one instead, placing it safely within her sleeve.

"Alright, let's go and pay Ōdanna-sama a visit. Hopefully he is still in his room."

The trek to Tenjin'ya's main building was peaceful. The sun had barely started peaking through the horizon, but the light that escaped provided just enough light to illuminate the morning dew the stone path connecting Tenjin'ya to Moonflower.

The building was quiet, and the halls were barely occupied; it would seem that the guests had yet to awaken for the morning meal. Aoi ventured up the many flights of stairs and down the many hallways leading up to the top floor of Tenjin'ya until, finally, she stood haggardly before a set of _fusuma_ which were heavily decorated with intricate paintings. Aoi appreciates the painted tree decorating the doors as she catches her breath and attempts to fix her appearance, if only slightly.

 _If I don't, he'll definitely notice,_ she groans. After straightening herself up the best she can, she braces herself and announces her presence, " Ōdanna-sama, are you there? Ōdanna-sama? Oh!"

The _shoji_ door suddenly opens, revealing a tall, familiar figure. As usual, his garments are all impeccable, his kimono clean and neat, with nothing out of place. His towering and confident stance is just as intimidating as it is reassuring, and Aoi finds herself stunned by his visage, a feeling that has become more commonplace as of late. Reminding herself of why she came here, Aoi quickly regains her composure.

"Good morning, Ōdanna-sama." She gives him a friendly smile.

"Good morning, Aoi. What are you doing here so early in the morning?" Ōdanna returns her smile as he acknowledges her presence, taking note of her appearance. Despite the surprise at seeing her so early in the morning outside his room, he is internally ecstatic to discover her wearing the kimono he gave her.

Noticing her slightly disheveled look, he teases, "Did you miss me so much that you ran all the way here, Aoi?"

Aoi tries to appear nonplussed, but her reddening face gives her away. With as much nonchalance as she can muster, she brushes off his usual teasing while ignoring the tiny part of her whole-heartedly agrees with him.

"N-no," She denies, "I just wanted to ask you a favor, that's all."

"Oh, what is it? I, your husband, will gladly listen to your request."

Aoi ignores his dramatic response. "There's something I want to make, but I need to go to the market to get some ingredients." She hesitates to continue on with her request as she becomes more aware of Ōdanna's transfixed stare on her. "I was wondering if you would not mind ... coming with me today." Her voice fades off and an uncomfortable silence pervades them.

 _Why isn't he saying anything?_

Since he had yet to respond, Aoi lifts her head, a part of her pride embarrassed at the prospect that Ōdanna might be laughing at her nervousness. She opens her mouth to give him a piece of her mind, but instantly flushes when she sees the openly enthusiastic look on Ōdanna's face. It morphs into a soft, heart-warming expression, which makes Aoi all the more conscientious of herself. Mortified by how wanton she must have appeared before him, with her flushed face and gaping mouth, she tries to redeem herself.

"At least answer my question! " She crosses her arms and huffs at him in annoyance. "I know you wouldn't want me to the market on my own, that's why I asked you if you wanted to come. That is, if you're free - I mean, if you're not free, then I can just go by myself. I would have asked Ginji, but he's busy today, so I decided to ask you, since you're usually free."

Ōdanna merely grins. Her bumbling and apparent nervousness is endearing to him, and it only increases his interest in her. His eyes twinkled with delight at the fact that she was asking him to accompany her, and her reaction towards his presence made the oni in him pleased.

"Calm down, Aoi. I do happen to be free today, so I can accompany you." His smile calms her, and Aoi is able to let out the breath she had been holding since she stopped talking. "However, even if I wasn't free, I'd still make time for you, my wife." She flushes at his statement, unsure of whether to feel flattered or outright indignant at his presumptuous familiarity.

Ōdanna's words cut through her musing, "Shall we go right now? We can take _Tenjin_ - _maru_ to go to the Foreign Delicacy Market in the eastern lands."

Before she can answer, Aoi's stomach growls. She groans and flushes at the audacity of her stomach. She averts her eyes downwards, too embarrassed to meet his gaze, which she is sure is full of amusement.

"Looks like we will have to leave after I've fed my lovely bride," he chuckles as he excuses himself so that he can order food for them both, leaving before Aoi can even rebuke him for laughing at her. Alone in Ōdanna's room, Aoi is left to wallow in her embarrassment, wishing to run away and hide.

 **Author's Note** :

First of all, I want to thank those who've left some wonderful reviews: akari124, Mizumori Fumaira, Riddhi Khilnani, Nure Onna, and one guest! Your comments have really made my day! :)

Second, thank you guys for reading. I just wanted to point out that the first few chapters will be rather slow, since I'm still in the process of getting used to portraying these characters and understanding their antics and speech patterns. Later on, however, I can promise you all that the stories will encompass more action and, perhaps, other beloved characters from the series. Until next time, happy reading!


	4. Breakfast For Two

When Ōdanna returned, he found Aoi, who had calmed down during his absence, seated on the tatami mat. He joins her and sits comfortably in front of her.

"Aoi," Ōdanna directly addresses her. She turns her head, noticing the radiantly coy expression on his face.

"What is it?" She inquires as she suddenly starts smoothing out the nonexistent wrinkles on her kimono; she wonders what she's done to make him look at her like that.

"As I thought, the kimono with azaleas looks good on you." he praises. Aoi's face reddens; even she had mentally noted that she looked nice in the kimono when she saw her reflection in the pond while crossing the bridge on the way here. _It's because you have such good taste, Ōdanna-sama_. She tries to calm herself, but unfortunately Ōdanna is relentless in his inspection of her. He leans over and she freezes when she feels his breath on her cheek.

"Wha—"

"I thought I could smell the scent of citrus on you, Aoi." He takes in a deep breath, enjoying the lingering scent of oranges clinging onto Aoi's skin. "I take it that you used the soaps in your bath last night?" he asks with a knowing grin.

"Yes," she squeaks, unable to meet his gaze. She grapples with whatever semblance of control she can muster and hastily calms herself, taking a deep breath to do so. "Thank you, I thoroughly enjoyed them," she admits shyly.

"That's good to hear," Ōdanna replies.

Turning to face him properly, Aoi can't help but smile. "Hm, I really enjoyed them." Ōdanna nods and offers her a small grin, closing his eyes to hide the gleam of satisfaction glowing within them.

 _It suits her, my bride, smelling of the scent that I gave her and wearing the clothes that I picked out just for her_.

A desire to keep his to-be wife close rises within him as he contemplates being able to wake up with Aoi, with her within his arms, their close proximity allowing his natural, masculine scent to completely overpower her naturally sweet fragrance. He imagines being able to take her out to explore the lands of the Hidden Realm and to enjoy her presence during their excursions, or to observe her enthusiasm in buying ingredients for their meals and being able to assist her with cooking them. Other less-than-innocent fantasies pass through his mind, however, and these thrill the oni within him immensely, and his more sensible side darkly agrees.

Luckily, Ōdanna's outward countenance remains despite his internal excitement, for which he is immensely glad. He opens his eyes to remove himself from the visions swimming through his mind; he would not want to scare away his bride, especially since she was more willing to open up to him as of late.

Before either of them can break the cordial silence that settled between them, a female voice, asking for permission to enter, filters through the thin covering of the shoji doors.

"Come in," Ōdanna calls out.

The shoji doors open, revealing two room attendants each with a tray of food. They offer Ōdanna and Aoi a low bow and respectfully address the two, both in sync: "Good morning Ōdanna-sama, Aoi-sama. We brought your breakfast." They then raise their heads and stand up with the trays in their hands. They enter the room and stand off to the side as two Tenjin'ya employee appear before the door and bow at the waist.

"Good morning, Ōdanna-sama, Aoi-sama," the employees greet. "We have brought the _chabudai_ that you requested." The two enter the room and quickly set the chabudai and _zabutons_ down in the center of the room. The two attendants then set down the trays.

"Today's breakfast we have the Chief Chef's traditional breakfast set: rice with _tamagoyaki_ , miso soup, grilled _aji_ , and kale _kobachi_." The two attendants explain as they set the table. "We also brought fresh _mugicha_ with ice."

Ōdanna nods, acknowledging their hard work, and gets up from his seat and offers a hand to Aoi. She accepts his help and thanks him, allowing him to guide her towards the low table. They seat themselves on the _zabuton_. Once comfortable, the attendants and employees offer Ōdanna and Aoi respectful bows and leave the two to their privacy.

Ōdanna watches her as her face glows upon seeing their breakfast. It seemed that nothing makes her more happier than food.

"Waa," Aoi exclaims, "The food is here, Ōdanna-sama! Wow!"

Ōdanna chuckles, "Calm down, Aoi."

Aoi ignores him and admires her food for a moment longer. "It looks so good," she gushes as she grabs her chopsticks.

"Itadakimasu!" she quickly mutters before digging in, too excited to wait for Ōdanna.

"Itadakimasu," Ōdanna repeats as he picks up his chopsticks. Before he even takes a bite of food, he finds himself entranced in watching Aoi and listening to her squeals of happiness and moans of praise as she eat with gusto before him. _As usual, she gets excited whenever there's food involved_. He recalls her joyful skipping with a box of matcha powder that he had given to her the night before Suzuran left for the Apparent Realm.

 _The market should please her_ , he ruminates as he picks up his bowl of rice, deciding to take his time to eat so that he can extend his time with Aoi. Ōdanna admires the smile she has on as she eats and silently thankful that she is too engrossed in her meal to notice him blatantly observing her. _Besides, she always does look happier receiving food. Perhaps I can take her to that pla_ — His thoughts are interrupted when his stomach growls. Looking up, he is relieved to find that Aoi had not heard his stomach. He pushes back his musings and begins to eat, not wanting to be reminded a second time by his stomach

As he chews, his heart races as one specific realization settles in: the sooner they leave, the longer he will have her all for himself. With newfound motivation, Ōdanna hastens to finish his food, despite his initial desire to take his time. Besides, he'll have other mornings to spend more leisurely with his bride.

Soon, only sound of dishes clattering fills the room.

Vocabulary:

chabudai = short-legged table

zabuton = Japanese cushion used for sitting on the floor

tamagoyaki = Japanese rolled omelet

aji = Japanese horse mackerel

kale kobachi = Japanese side dish of sauteed kale seasoned with mirin and soy sauce

mugicha = Japanese barley tea, which is considered a good summer drink 

**Author's Note** :

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It's a bit on the shorter side, but it's because the next chapter will definitely be longer. Thanks for all the comments. :) I'll try to update by next Wednesday, so stay tuned! Thank you, and happy reading everyone!


	5. Caring For My Sick Bride

**Author's Note** :

Hello everyone! As I promised, this chapter is longer than last week's.

Quick note about the next two chapters. I am going to upload some "filler" chapters for the next two weeks (this week and next). These short one-shots are chronologically out of order, but everything will make sense eventually.

For this chapter in particular, I was inspired to write this after I got sick recently. Some of the details I added in this chapter may not make sense until much later, but I hope that you all can enjoy it nonetheless.

I'd like to thank everyone who have left me such wonderful comments and have been following this story so far, if I can even call it a story. Also, I really wanted to post this as soon as possible, so let me know if there's any major grammar issues! Thanks, and happy reading! I'll be uploading the next chapter a week from today.

* * *

It was after they had returned from their date at the harvest festival at Ginten district that Aoi had fallen ill. Ōdanna, feeling responsible for allowing her to get ill under his watch, spent every moment he could aiding in her recovery. Fortunately, after nearly two days of rest, Aoi's fever had broke in the middle of the second night, to Ōdanna's relief. He vigilantly sat next to her, keeping her hydrated and cooled.

The morning after her fever went down, Aoi awoke to a startling scene: Ōdanna, with hands tucked into his wrinkled and wet haori sleeves, sleeping while sitting elegantly beside her bed. Perplexed and confused, she had laid there for nearly a half hour before her stomach rumbled loudly, awakening Ōdanna from his rest.

"Aoi," he drawls out in a deep, lazy voice when he realizes that she is awake, "how are you feeling?"

"Ōdanna-sama," Aoi croaks, coughing slightly and placing a hand to her throat at the soreness she feels there when she tries to talk.

"Just one moment," Ōdanna gets up and leaves the room. He returns shortly with a pitcher of water and a new cup. He fills the glass and hands it to Aoi as she sits up on her futon. She downs the cup before offering it to Ōdanna, who places it on the ground next to him.

"Thank you, Ōdanna-sama," Aoi whispers. "What happened?"

"After our date, you collapsed with a fever," Ōdanna explained. "Your fever went down last night, but you have been ill for the past three days."

"Three days!" Aoi exclaimed, although her voice was barely the volume of her normal talking voice. In her surprise, she barely registers that Ōdanna called their outing a "date". "What about Moonflower?"

"Don't worry, Aoi. Ginji and the others have been taking good care of Moonflower while you were recovering." Ōdanna answered, amazed by Aoi's devotion to her work, but also slightly exasperated by the fact that she doesn't worry about herself enough. "I ordered them not to let you into the kitchen until I deem you at full health."

Catching a revelation in his statement, Aoi glanced around the room, noticing that she was not in her room at Moonflower. She also realized how quiet the place was, which is usually not the case if she were in her room in Moonflower. "Where are we?"

Placing his hands into his sleeves, Ōdanna replied, "This is my quarters."

To confirm his words, Aoi inspects the room they are in. She sees the familiar painted shoji doors, Ōdanna's tsuke-shoin, the _tokonoma_ and chigaidana in their usual places. However, the room is not how she remembers it. The room seems more spacious, and in the corner of the room where Ōdanna usually makes tea, there is a teppanyaki grill, a portable stove, a wooden block, a small pot and other utensils. Piled neatly next to the block are baskets filled with fresh vegetables and spice jars.

Aoi puts two and two together and turns to Ōdanna with wide eyes. Ōdanna notices her expression and suppresses the desire to laugh. Instead, he innocently remarks, "Is something the matter?"

"Did someone...cook in here?" She asks in such a way that Ōdanna can't help but feel that he is being judged by his young bride. He mildly replies, "Yes, I did."

"B-but," Aoi stutters, still stunned at the prospect of Ōdanna cooking _in his room_ , no less, "you could have just had Ginji or the Chief Chef cook something and bring it up!" When Aoi turns to look at her ogre companion, she is frozen in place by his intense stare. As he holds her gaze, he notices Aoi's bed hair, which is something she has not yet discovered. Removing a hand from his sleeve, he brushes some of her unruly bed hair out of her face and tucks them behind her ear.

"Ōdanna-sa"- Aoi begins to say, but is silenced when the same hand cups her cheek and a thumb brushes against her bottom lip. She watches, transfixed, as Ōdanna's eyes begin to slightly glow like molten lava.

In a lush, baritone voice, Ōdanna declares, "Is it not a husband's duty to look after his wife when she is not feeling well?" He gives Aoi a gentle smile. "Besides," lovingly stroking her cheek, he continues, "I am partly to blame for you getting sick, so I took it upon myself to look after you. _Nonetheless, as your husband, it is only appropriate for you to be looked after by me, of course,_ he justified to himself, lowering his hand from her face. "Of course the _nopperabou_ sisters assisted with washing you up and changing you into your yukata."

"That still doesn't explain why the stove and those other things are here." Aoi argues.

"I had the staff bring some things from the kitchen that I can use so that I can prepare food for you up here while watching over you."

Aoi blushes at the mental image. Whatever humor she would have found at the mental image of Ōdanna cooking in the corner of his room is overshadowed by her mortification of him glancing at her sleeping figure while doing so.

"Couldn't you have just gone down to the kitchen and have someone watch over me instead?" Aoi groaned, covering her face with her hands in mortification.

Unable to hold back, Ōdanna lets out an amused laugh, which irks Aoi, who frowns at his reaction. Seeing the sulky expression on his bride's face, Ōdanna immediately calms down, if only to placate her.

"You are safest with me," he argues, "and it is a husband's duty to remain by his wife when she is comatose." _And it brings me satisfaction in knowing that you are well because of eating something I made for_ you, he added mentally. Despite wanting to refute his claim, Aoi decides to drop the issue.

Having calmed down, Aoi's mind is surprisingly clear and she realizes things that her frantic mind had overlooked. The most important one being that she had been in bed - for nearly three days; she must look horrendous! She gasps as she realizes that she must not have showered in the past few days. Not only that, but her hair must be a mess as well.

 _Did I wake up during the past few days and just can't remember?_ Aoi wonders, as she can feel her face heat up in embarrassment. She didn't even want to know how she was able to use the restroom, or who helped her, for that matter. However, she doesn't know how to go about fixing her problem without alerting Ōdanna to her predicament.

Aoi sighs loudly. There was no point in worrying about what already happened. She needed to get up and change into some new clothes, and perhaps get a bath, too. She tries to get up, only to find her arms and legs weak.

"Aoi?"

"I need to get changed," she tells him, "and maybe...wash up."

He gets up offers his hand to her. "I'll accompany you to the baths then."

"Thank you, Ōdanna-sama." She takes his hand and he slowly helps her to her feet. Once she is stable enough, he guides her to the baths. Luckily, Shizuna is in the bathes. Ōdanna asks her to assist Aoi in bathing and clothing, which she agrees to do, feeling overwhelmed at being given direct orders from Ōdanna-sama, which is a rare situation.

Aoi spends some time relaxing in a healing bath that Shizuna prepares. While Aoi soaks, Shizuna leaves her momentarily to fetch a clean yukata. She bumps into Ōdanna, who frightens her and causes her to go into a frenzied apology spree, bowing frantically for bumping into him. He places a reassuring hand on her shoulder, calming her down with his words. He hands her a parcel, which has a new, clean yukata inside, and thanks her for her hard work. Touched by his words, Shizuna promises to do her best and returns back into the baths.

Once finished with her bath, Shizuna helps Aoi into the yukata that Ōdanna brought. It is a lighter shade of magenta than her usual sleeping yukata and is decorated in a poppy print. The obi is dark evergreen and compliments the yukata well. After thanking Shizuna for her help, Aoi exits the baths. She is surprised to find Ōdanna standing against the wall opposite the bath's entrance, waiting for her with his hands in his sleeves.

"Are you all clean now, Aoi?" He asks, offering her a hand.

"Yes," she answers, hesitantly taking his hand. She is highly aware of the heat passing between their hands, but she does her best to ignore the feelings she feels stirring within her. The two slowly make their way back to Ōdanna's room. When they enter his room, Aoi notices that the futon was changed and there is a small table placed next to it.

"Do you want to eat some pancakes, Aoi?" Ōdanna asks as he assists her down onto the futon.

"Pancakes?" Aoi blurts out excitedly.

"Would you like some?"

"Of course!"

Ōdanna walks over to his window, opening it up, then heads to where the kitchen stuff is placed and sits behind the teppanyaki grill. He heats it up with his green ogre fire, then retrieves a large bowl, setting it onto the wooden block next to him, and some softened butter. Skillfully, he butters the griddle, spreading it around, then ladles on a generous portion of batter from the large bowl.

The smell of butter and pancake batter cooking fills the room. Curious to watch Ōdanna cook, Aoi scoots closer to observe him. He is turned to the side and is currently cutting some fruit while the pancakes cook.

"Where did you learn how to make pancakes?" Aoi inquires.

"While I was visiting the Apparent Realm, I worked at a pancake shop."

 _The last time he was visiting the Apparent Realm was a couple months ago, after I had eaten the Chief Chef's food_ , Aoi thought. She scrunched her face as her mind processed what Ōdanna had just told her. _But, working at a pancake shop?_ Suddenly, she recalled a bit of information that Ginji had told her after he told her that Ōdanna was leaving for the Apparent Realm:

 _"Is the master going to the apparent realm? Why? She had asked, after O-ryo had informed her, Ginji, and Sousuke, unintentionally. "Oh, the master sometimes goes to the different realms and works there" Ginji had explained. Perplexed by this news, she had said, "I see...I didn't know."_

Suddenly, the conversation they had after he returned, which she barely remembered paying attention to since all she could think about at the time was how nice it was to have Ōdanna back at Tenjin'ya, where he shared about how pancakes had become popular in the Apparent Realm, all made sense.

As she watched him work, earnestly flipping the pancakes, pouring out more batter, and preparing the toppings for her breakfast, Aoi felt flattered for his sincerity and could not help but smile. She mused that she was probably one of the few individuals in the Hidden Realm who had the honor of eating food made by Ōdanna, and part of her was thrilled by the fact and quite proud to be able to boast such a thing.

"Aoi," Ōdanna's voice pulls her out of her inner thoughts, "the pancakes are almost ready." As he says that, he checks the underside of the pancakes cooking on the griddle then takes them off using a spatula. He stacks a few onto a plate, then adds an array of fruits off to the side. Lastly, he cuts a square of butter, placing it in the center of the top pancake, then pours some syrup and adds a dollop of what appears to be whipped cream on top. He quickly creates a plate for himself with the remaining pancakes. He then gets up and places both plates. and two sets of utensils, onto the table.

"Go ahead and sit," he urges Aoi towards the table, "I'll make us some tea." Aoi obediently makes her way to the table, growing excited as the smell of freshly made pancakes fills her nose, along with the tangy-sweet scent of the peaches, berries, and apples that Ōdanna had prepared and cut.

"Wow, this smells good," Aoi moaned in delight. "You did a good job, Ōdanna-sama." Her praise pulled a chuckle out of Ōdanna.

Having not noticed it before, as Aoi studies the plate of food, she realizes that Ōdanna had poured maple syrup onto their pancakes. "Where did you get maple syrup?" She asked excitedly, turning around to face him.

"I was given a bottle by the manager of the store that I worked at," he replied, scooping out some water into a ceramic tea cup. "She told me that it was a reward for working so well."

"Eh, how generous," Aoi commented.

"I suppose. However, she said it was also because the store had so many sales while I was working. There were lots of human girls that lined up to order some pancakes." He further explained.

Hearing about the other girls that Ōdanna had served, and the fact that they got to see him working, made Aoi feel a bit annoyed. While she tried to reason that it was because that meant Ōdanna had to work hard, and she was just feeling worried, a part of her knew that what she was feeling was actually jealousy.

Ōdanna glanced up from his work and saw Aoi watching him. He was pleased that she was enthralled with watching him, but he did not forget that she was still recovering. "Go ahead and eat, Aoi. The tea will be done soon."

Brought out of her thoughts, Aoi blushes when she notices him smile at her encouragingly, as if he knew what she was thinking about. "No, I'll wait for you, Ōdanna-sama." She quickly turns around, not wanting to him to see her face after saying something rather brazen and embarrassing.

While she was trying to hide her embarrassment, Ōdanna stared at the back of his bride, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks at her words. He felt a twinge of happiness at hearing her admit that she would wait for him. Feeling motivated to not make her wait, he quickly finishes preparing the tea before joining her at the table. He gently sets down a cup in front of her and then places the other next to his place.

"Here you go. Drink it carefully, it's hot," he warns.

"Thank you," She carefully lifts the cup with both hands and takes a tentative sip. Despite the scalding temperature of t he tea, the deep and slightly bitter matcha flavor seeps onto her taste buds. Setting the cup down, she mumbles a quick thanks before cutting into the stack of pancakes. A cloud of steam escapes as she scoops up a forkful of pancakes into her mouth.

"Mmm, delicious!" She moans in delight. The hot, sweet and moist pancakes nearly melts upon touching her tongue, melding with the rich creaminess of the butter. She takes a sip of tea, finding that the bitterness of the tea is lessened because of the sweetness from the pancakes and syrup, which gives the matcha flavor more depth.

"The tea tastes so good with the pancakes," Aoi gushes as she takes another bite, this time with some fruit. "I've never had this kind of pancakes before."

"I'm glad you like it, Aoi," Ōdanna says, taking his time to eat. "These fluffy pancakes have become quite popular since you have arrived here in the Hidden Realm. I can give you the recipe if you like."

"Are you sure?" Aoi asks with some doubt clouding her voice.

"Of course," Ōdanna assures her with a chuckle. "Anything for my lovely bride," he mumbled as he takes a bit of pancake with a slice of peach.

"Thanks so much Ōdanna-sama!" Aoi thanks him, giving him a smile. "Let me know what you want to eat. I'll cook it for you as thanks."

"Hmm," Ōdanna hums, taking a sip of tea as he thinks. "I saw something that a lot of humans seemed to enjoy eating. It was called hamburger steak, I believe."

"Ah, hamburger steak. Would you like to eat that, Ōdanna-sama?" Aoi questions.

"If it is no trouble for you to make," Ōdanna replies.

"We just bought a lot of ingredients from the Eastern Foreign Delicacy Market, so I should be able to make it." Aoi affirms, thinking back on all the things that the two of them had bought a few days ago.

"Then I'll be patiently awaiting for your bento."

Aoi nods, and the two of them enjoy conversing and eating. Too soon, however, they finish their breakfast. Ōdanna gets up to grab a basket and places their dirty dishes into it, leaving it on top of the table.

"Come, Aoi, let's get you back onto the futon." Ōdanna helps Aoi get up and leads her back to her bed.

"I can do it myself, Ōdanna-sama," Aoi complains as she allows herself to be helped into bed. Once she is comfortably back beneath the bedding, Ōdanna goes to fetch her some water. He returns and hands her a glass, which she graciously accepts. He forages in his sleeve and pulls out a small packet of medicine.

"Take this, then rest." Ōdanna instructs, handing her the packet. He then goes to close the window and pull down the window cover, which darkens the room.

Aoi takes the medicine, downing it with water, then lies down on the bed while listening to Ōdanna as he gathers all of the used utensils into a basket, leaving them off to the side, and wipes down the teppanyaki griddle. The medicine she took quickly makes Aoi feel sleepy, and Aoi's eyes shut close as Ōdanna finishes up with cleaning. She is nearly asleep when she hears clothes rustling from her bedside. Drowsily, she opens her eyes and finds Ōdanna. Her glazed eyes looks up at Ōdanna's concerned ones. When he doesn't make a move to leave, she asks incredulously, "Are you going to stay here until I fall sleep?"

Smiling down at her, Ōdanna places a comforting hand onto her head, patting it soothingly. He finds her attempt at staying awake endearing. What a stubborn woman she is, his bride; even being on the verge of falling asleep, she fights the urge just to argue with him. "Go ahead and fall asleep, Aoi. I'll stay beside you." He whispers in a low voice, hoping his voice can calm her.

The sensation of having her head patted, which she hadn't felt in so long, lulls Aoi from her initial outrage and makes her even more sleepy. Soon, her eyes are closed and her breathing evens out. Once assured that Aoi is asleep, Ōdanna slowly removes his hand. However, before he can take it back, Aoi, in her sleep, reaches out to grab hold of it, turning in her sleep to pull it closer to her.

"Aoi?"

Mumbling in her sleep, Aoi murmurs, "Don't leave me alone... Ōdanna-sama." She nuzzles Ōdanna's hand. Feeling perplexed and glad at witnessing Aoi so unguarded, he feels heat creeping onto his face. However, he quickly decides to cherish this rare moment. He lets her hold onto his hand, pleased with her dependence on him.

 _It's a husband's duty to look after his wife while she sleeps_ , he reasons as he keeps guard over his bride as she rests. Besides, after three days of watching her sleep, Ōdanna realizes that he will never tire of doing so. Never.

* * *

Vocabulary:

 _tokonoma_ = an alcove in a Japanese-style reception room used to display artistic objects

 _tsuke-shoin_ = writing desk

 _chigaidana_ = traditional Japanese shelf


	6. Trick or Treating in the Apparent Realm

**Author's Note** :

Hello everyone! Happy (late) Halloween! I really wanted to have this story out by Halloween, but it just was not to be. I just wanted to let you guys know that I sincerely have no clue what I wrote in this chapter (this week's been busy, so whatever I wrote is all a blur to me at this point). As you will see, this chapter centers around Aoi, Odanna, and Ai. Since I am not entirely familiar with Ai's character, especially her quirks and personality after Aoi returns to Tenjin'ya and Moonflower, I took some liberties with how she would act. Since I saw her in several of the light novel covers appearing like a young ayakashi child, I decided to have her act like a child - which I find fitting given that she is a fairly young ayakashi (she's over a year old in this chapter). I apologize if some things don't quite make sense or if the characters don't quite act like they should.

Anyways, I hope that you all enjoy it regardless. And thank you so much for those who are following the story. Please let me know what you guys think of this chapter, and I'll see you all next week!

* * *

"Are we done yet?" Aoi grumbles for the nth time. She had been with the Nopperabou sisters for nearly 3 hours, getting ready to go out with Ōdanna and Ai.

"You would think that he would have chosen a different outfit," Aoi mutters under her breath as the sisters finally finish helping her put on her outfit.

The three sisters giggle at her misfortune. "Ōdanna-sama only gifts you with the best that he can find, Aoi-sama," the round-faced sister says in a placating tone.

"Besides," the tallest sister chimes in, "you are his wife after all. It is not surprising that he would spoil you."

"Alright you two, let us finish up. Ōdanna-sama is waiting." the shortest sister's voice butts in, full of authority. With their short break over, the other two finished putting on the last few pieces of Aoi's attire. Once done, the three step back to admire their handiwork; they were more than pleased with the fruits of their hard work.

A couple weeks ago, as the leaves began to change color, Ōdanna had come back from visiting the Apparent Realm. During his visit, he had learned about a certain holiday celebrated there: Halloween. He had shared all the information he learned about the holiday with Ai, who had ran to his room from Moonflower when she and Aoi noticed his ship arriving at Tenjin'ya. Because of that, Ai wanted to go and see all the amazing things Ōdanna told her about Halloween, including the tradition of trick or treating. Aoi, appalled by her brazen request, told her that it wouldn't be possible - the tickets were quite pricey. Ai was stubborn though and would not back down, determined to go visit the Apparent Realm. Unable to appease the young ayakashi, Aoi turned to Ōdanna, who agreed to Ai's whims, much to Aoi's displeasure. However, Ōdanna assured Aoi that the two of them would also be there, so she shouldn't worry so much. Thus, the three of them are currently traveling towards the gate leading to the Apparent Realm.

"Go and have a look Aoi-sama," they urge as one of the sisters position the mirror just in front of her.

"Ehh!" Aoi exclaims in shock as she looks at her reflection. "Wha- Who-!" Speechless, Aoi studies her reflection intently.

Her hair, which she had not cut during her time in the Hidden Realm, had been brushed till it gleamed and carefully put up into an intricate bun, leaving some strands of her side fringes to frame her face. It was decorated with a number of _kanzashi_ : a set of gold _bira-bira_ kanzashi, a simple _hana_ kanzashi decorated with red and white chrysanthemums, and the camellia hairpin she received from Ōdanna.

Her makeup was elegantly done. Her face looked like porcelain, dewy and pale. The light dust of blush on her cheeks and along the edge of her hairline and along her jaws brought back some warmth to her face. Her eyebrows had been filled so that it gave her an alluring, but gentle, look. The three sisters had covered her eyelids with a sparkly pearl eye shadow then created a gradient, from the inner to outer corners of her eyes, using a bold and dark imperial red shadow. They heavily lined her eyes with black kohl and added a small wing that added a sultry allure to Aoi's expression. Her lashes were curled and darkened with mascara, and her under lids had golden dust painted lightly on them, which made her eyes pop out that much more. Upon her forehead, the sisters had meticulously painted on a beautiful flower motif using crimson and gold eye powder. Lastly, her lips were colored with a soft cerise lip color.

While her hair and makeup shocked her, Aoi was more stunned by her clothing. She wore an elaborate black _tarikubi_ style robe with gold and silver embroidery. The obi was also black and decorated with silver and red flowers outlined in gold. It was tied in the front, rather than the back, and greatly helped to showcase Aoi's feminine curves. Unlike most kimonos, her neck and some of her shoulder were bare, which created a neckline was quite deep, exposing a bit of cleavage, but was kept modest by the a crimson red inner layer trimmed with gold lining. The robe was tailored in such a way that two slits ran up the sides, which threatened to expose Aoi's thighs if she wasn't careful with how she moved. Fortunately, the slits enabled more movement, which Aoi was thankful for. She wore luxurious getas on her feet, which were at a reasonable height - they made her just tall enough so that the hem of her robes did not brush against the ground, nor cause her to trip. Lastly, several gold and bronze decorative ornaments hung from her obi, and one of the sisters handed her a traditional _wagasa_.

Her mind could not accept the fact that the attractive and elegant woman in the mirror was, in fact, her. In addition, she felt that this outfit was too over the top. However, before she could say anything, the shoji door behind her opened up.

"Aoi-sama, Aoi-sama!" A chirpy voice rings throughout the room. Looking through the mirror, Aoi sees Ai entering the room. She spots Ai in the mirror and greets her, "Hello Ai."

Skipping towards her, the young ayakashi squealed when she saw Aoi's attire. "You look beautiful, Aoi-sama! Like an empress!"

"Thank you, Ai," Aoi answers graciously with a smile. "You look cute as well." Ai was dressed as an adorable _kyonshi_. The long sleeves of her blue and red robes fluttered erratically as she bounced around Aoi. Wishing to sit, and also calm Ai, Aoi guided the hyper Ai towards the low table.

Just as the two settled down at the table to the enjoy the snacks and tea that were placed there, the door slid open. Ai and Aoi turned to inspect who was at the door. However, Ai excitedly jumped up and ran towards the figure at the door, losing her cap in the process. Aoi reaches over to grab it.

"Ōdanna-sama, Ōdanna-sama! Welcome, welcome!" She barrels into Ōdanna, who chuckles at her childish actions. He gently pats her head as an acknowledgement of her greeting. Ai pulls back and looks up at the ogre she sees as almost a father figure. Her eyes widen as she notices his clothing.

"Waa, Ōdanna-sama looks so cool!"

Smiling, Ōdanna tells her to calm down and go sit next to Aoi at the table. She does so obediently, humming happily as she hops over. Once she is seated, Aoi helps her don her cap. Ōdanna approaches the two. After helping Ai with her cap, Aoi turns to glance at her ogre lover.

His appearance was beyond stunning.

His horns were gone. Instead, curled black horns encircled his temples. His hair was gelled back, exposing his forehead, which revealed a black flame marking. He wore a navy blue jacket decorated with silver embellishments along the collar and hemline. The top two buttons were left undone. It revealed the gold silk shirt that was beneath it. The shirt was threaded with black designs and lined with crimson along the seams. He wore loose dark navy blue _hakamas_ and black military shoes. Upon his shoulder was a grand cape, lined with pure white fur. The inside of the cape was a bold red color and decorated with a dragon motif using silver, black, and gold thread. The cape was adorned with shoulder guards and tassels. On his arms there were armored sleeves fastened over the jacket sleeves. Lastly, he had several belts fastened on his waist. His clothes made him look powerful.

 _Handsome_ , she thinks automatically, bewitched by his appearance. However, the word, by no means, described the sheer aura and glamour emanating from the ogre that stood before her, watching her intently. Unfortunately, it was the only word that her transfixed mind could produce. Like her, Ōdanna found her to be ethereally winsome. She looked very much like a goddess.

Whilst gazing at her, Ōdanna breathes, "You look stunning, Aoi." It is Aoi who turns away first, becoming flustered by his words. A small grin appears on his face when he notices her reddened ears.

"Th-thanks," she stutters back. Steeling herself, she turns back and quietly compliments, "Your clothing looks handsome, Ōdanna-sama." He chuckles and thanks her, obviously pleased.

"Are you well, Aoi?" He attempts to try and ease the embarrassment he's caused.

Aoi nods, "Yes, the Nopperabou sisters took good care of me."

Ōdanna walks up to the table and claims the open seat to Aoi's left. Ai sits across from him, enjoying an _ichigo daifuku_ and some _aki bancha_. He boldly takes Aoi's hand into his and strokes the back of her hand with his thumb. The action immediately calms Aoi, who bravely looks up to meet his eyes.

"We'll arrive soon," he tells her in a low voice. She hums in understanding.

Both Aoi and Ōdanna turn to look at Ai when her abrupt departure from the table caused the table to shake. They watch her as she runs towards the window to watch the rosy-colored sky.

"It's Ai's first time going to the Apparent Realm," Aoi says with a ghost of a smile on her lips, still watching the young ayakashi. Her eyes are soft and appear unfocused, yet her stare is like that of a mother's. "She is beyond excited about it."

Noting the slight creases appearing on her brow, Ōdanna inquires, "Is something wrong, Aoi?"

His question pulls Aoi from whatever thoughts were occupying her mind. She glances at him and shakes her head. Her expression telling him that she finds whatever was on her mind as silly thoughts.

"No," she answers slowly, "but I am worried that something bad may happen while we are there."

Sensing some trepidation in Aoi, Ōdanna lifts his hand, taking her hand with it. He brings it up to his lips, pressing a soft kiss on the back of her hand. His actions stun Aoi, and she finds herself at a loss of words and can only breath out, "Ōdanna-sama?"

"Don't worry, Aoi," Ōdanna reassures, guiding her hand and turning it so that her palm is facing up. He closes his eyes and place kisses along her wrist and palm. Aoi blushes at his displace of affection but doesn't stop him; she feels gleeful at the love he generously gives to her, especially the small gestures he does to calm her.

Opening his eyes, he stares right at her and mouths against the curve of her wrist, "I won't let anything happen to you or Ai, Aoi. I promise." He seals his promise with one last kiss. As he spoke, his hot breath tickled the palm of Aoi's hand, causing her to shiver in delight at the sensation. He lowers her hand onto the table, but doesn't let go. The two quietly stare at each other, merely admiring and enjoying the other's overt attention and presence.

The tranquil air between the two is broken when Ai cries out, "I see the gate and the Gatekeeper Tree!"

Sighing, Ōdanna pulls his hand back. "It appears we have arrived." Turning to Ai he calls out to her, "Come, Ai, go and get your things," Ai looks back at Ōdanna and cheerfully says, "Okay~!" in a sing-song tone before running out to retrieve her things, primarily her pumpkin bag.

Once the two are alone, Ōdanna gets up before helping Aoi to her feet.

"Let us get prepared as well, my bride," he whispers into her ear as he guides her to the other side of the room. She nods. Once the two have gotten their things, they head out onto the deck of Tenjinmaru and await for it to land. Ai jumps around and points out all of the new things she has never seen before to Ōdanna, whose arm curled protectively around Aoi's waist, and Aoi, who interlocked her fingers with his. Like that, the three await to land and cross into the Apparent Realm.

"Trick or treat!" Ai shouts enthusiastically as the door opens, revealing a kind elderly woman dressed as a witch and holding a bowl full of candy.

"Wow, what do we have here?" The woman coos. She smiles as she watches Ai jump up and down before her.

"Ai is a kyonshi!" Ai replies.

Placing a hand to her cheek, the woman says back, "Is that so?"

"Mm," Ai affirms boldly.

"Well, you are definitely a cute kyonshi," the woman compliments. Her words causes Ai to go into a fit of childish giggles as she twirls around saying aloud, "Yes, yes, Ai is cute, Ai is cute!" The woman laughs at Ai's antics and lowers her bowl down to Ai's eye level.

"Go ahead and take a candy."

Ai stops down and peers into the bowl. Her eyes sparkle as she sees all the colorful packages of candy. Her eyes quickly scans all the new kinds of sweets. She snaps her head back at Aoi and Ōdanna, who wait patiently behind her.

She approaches Aoi, takes her hand. "Aoi-sama, which one should Ai get?" she asks as she pulls Aoi towards the bowl.

Aoi steps forward and helps Ai to pick out a candy. Ōdanna watches the interaction lovingly, which does not go unnoticed by the woman. Once the duo have picked a few pieces of candy, Ai thanks the woman for the candy and pulls Aoi hand, guiding them towards the next door.

After the three of them had landed, they tied their tickets on the Gatekeeper Tree before passing through the gate that led to the Apparent Realm. Ai had been so amazed by everything she saw that she nearly forgot about trick or treating until she passed by a child her size, dressed as a princess, holding a bag full of treats. Reminded of the purpose of their excursion, Ai had pulled on both Aoi's and Ōdanna's hands and followed a small group of children and parents who were going around trick or treating.

After trick or treating for nearly half an hour, Ōdanna began to notice that at every door they've stopped at, Ai would always turn to Aoi to help her pick out a candy since the decision of having to pick only one treat among all the colorful and new sweets was too much for her. Ai found it more fun to pick her treats with Aoi, who is like a mother to her. As the two would scour through the collection of candies presented to them at every door, Ōdanna would watch silently behind them with a kind smile, content to just look over them. Watching Aoi interact with Ai, Ōdanna felt his love for this woman grow. Ai, whose appearance was a perfect blend of both their appearances, was much like a child to the two of them, and within the Apparent Realm, the three of them easily looked and acted like a family. That thought in particular warmed Ōdanna's heart and softened his eyes.

"Ai wanted that candy!" The recognizable sound of Ai's voice broke Ōdanna's reverie. He watched as Ai glared daggers at a young human boy his size. The boy was dressed as a mummy and he glared back at Ai with an angry face. The two were squatting next to a large bowl of candy placed before the door; the owners had left a note and a large bowl of candies for any trick or treaters who happened to pass by their door.

"No!" The boy vehemently argued. "This is my chocolate!"

Ai, refused to back down, "No, Ai saw it first! Therefore, this is Ai's!" She grabs the chocolate and places it into her pumpkin. Her action further angers the boy, and he reaches out a hand and goes into her pumpkin, grabbing a handful of her candy, including the chocolate the two were arguing over. His actions enrage Ai, who pulls on his hair. In retaliation, the boy pulls on her hair. Luckily, their scuffle did not last long.

"Hey, Ai!" Aoi yells immediately, stepping in to separate the two.

"No, Hiroto! Let go of her!" The mother of the boy, who had two other young ones with her, quickly approached her son and Aoi. Between the two women, they were able to separate the two irate children.

"Ai! You cannot go around doing that!" Aoi scolds. Cheeks puffed and brows turned down, Ai doesn't listen. She pouts and replies, "But he took Ai's candy!"

"Even so, you shouldn't do that!"

Stomping a foot and with teary eyes, Ai yells out, "No! He was wrong! He took Ai's candy! Ai saw it first!"

"Ai is also in the wrong," Aoi says firmly, "that is why you need to apologize to the boy."

Childishly, Ai refuses, putting up a tantrum that Aoi cannot handle.

A little ways away, the boy and his mother were having a similar conversation. Ōdanna observes both, not wanting to get in the way. However, when she sees Aoi struggling to calm Ai, he finally intervenes.

He approaches Ai and Aoi, surprising Aoi.

"Ōdanna-sama...?" Aoi questions. He gives her a reassuring smile then turns back to Ai. Aoi watches as he kneels down to meet Ai face to face.

"Ai," he calls out her name in a gentle but firm tone, "you are not acting as an ayakashi should."

His words cause Ai to turn her head to face him. She scrunches her brows. It is apparent that while she wanted to be right, her pride as an ayakashi wars with those sentiments. Ōdanna had taught her what it means to be an honorable ayakashi, and she knew that her attitude and actions did not reflect what he taught her.

"But," she begins, clearly conflicted.

"You know what I taught you. I will not force you to apologize, but you know what is the right thing to do. The decision is yours to make."

He patiently waits as Ai internalizes the situation and comes up with her decision. Once she is ready, she faces him with a resolute expression. Ōdanna smiles and gets up.

Ai approaches the boy, who seems to have also come to the same decision as her. The two stand before each other. It is the boy who acts first. Taking a few pieces of candy from his bag, he places them into her pumpkin.

"I'm sorry for taking your candy," he turns his face away from her and continues, "and I'm sorry for pulling your hair."

"I'm sorry too," Ai says, still a bit annoyed but less so because he returned her candy, "for yelling at you and pulling your hair." She digs through her pumpkin and grabs a random chocolate candy. She takes the boys hand and places it into his.

"Here, take it." The boy glances at the candy in his hand. It is his favorite. He turns back to look at Ai.

"Thanks," he says sincerely. Ai gives him a big, cheeky smile; he returns it with one of his own. Fortunately, for both Aoi and his mother, the two quickly make up and warm up to each other. For the rest of their trick or treat excursion, the two are inseparable. Aoi also warms up to the boy's mother as the group goes door to door together.

Eventually, the boy and his family have to head home. Ai and the boy part on good terms, and Aoi, Ōdanna, and Ai continue on their way. Towards the end of the night, Ai, who had been energetic nearly the entire day, is finally tired out. Ōdanna carries her in her arms and she rests her cheek on his shoulder, sleeping peacefully after such an exciting night.

Aoi takes in the sight beside her. Watching Ōdanna hold Ai warms her heart. She notes how Ōdanna carefully pats Ai's back every once in a while and repositions her head so that her face is comfortably resting on his shoulder. She imagined him doing the same with a child born from their union.

"Is something the matter, Aoi?" Ōdanna asks as the two walk towards the torii gate.

"Huh?" Aoi blinks in confusion.

"You were staring at me so intently," he clarifies. Aoi's face reddens at being caught ogling Ōdanna so openly. After a moment of fidgeting, she shyly admits to him, "I was just thinking about the future."

"Oh?" Ōdanna turns to look down at his charming wife.

"Watching you hold Ai like that ... I was imagining you holding our child."

Ōdanna's eyes widen. A blush appears on his cheek. "It seems that we both think alike, Aoi."

He glances forward, seeing the steps beneath the familiar red torii in the distance. "Perhaps in the future, we can make it a reality."

With his free hand, he reaches over to grasp Aoi's. His had tightly clasps hers, and their warmth envelops the other.

Agreeing with his sentiments, Aoi replies, "Nn, perhaps one day."

They both smile and enjoy the rest of the walk towards the gate, which will take them back to the Hidden Realm.

* * *

Vocabulary:

 _kanzashi_ = Japanese hair ornament

 _bira-bira kanzashi_ = /variety-of-kanzashi-edo/

 _hana_ _kanzashi_ = /variety-of-kanzashi-edo/

 _wagasa_ = traditional Japanese umbrella

 _kyonshi_ = Japanese for _jiangshi_ , Chinese vampire distinguishable by their hopping motion and Qing dynasty garments

 _hakama_ = traditional Japanese trousers

 _ichigo daifuku_ = strawberry mochi

 _aki bancha_ = tea made from green tea leaves that is harvest during autumn


	7. Spending Time Among the Clouds

A/N: Continuation of the original story plot. This week's chapter is short, but next week's will make up for it. Thank you all for reading! I will see you again next week.

"Oh, how beautiful," Aoi compliments from the deck of Tenjin-maru. "There's so much greenery here in the Hidden Realm."

Aoi turned towards her steadfast chaperone. As usual, his hands were tucked within the sleeves of his haori. The zephyr, which she had just mentioned, blows past them, teasing the strands of her bangs to blow into her face. Simultaneously, Ōdanna's bangs also fluttered with the wind, the strands of charcoal-black hair brushing against the curve of his cheek. The sight makes Aoi breathless, finding him attractive. _It's unfair,_ she pouted, _everything about him is unfair_. However, despite her grumblings, she could not deny that Ōdanna-sama is, indeed, handsome.

"Aoi," Ōdanna's voice cuts through her musings, "are you feeling alright?"

Aoi realizes that she was so lost in thought that she didn't notice how blatantly she was staring at Ōdanna-sama. Her cheeks turn pink as mortification sinks in.

Ōdanna, worried by the glassiness in Aoi's eyes and the flush decorating her cheeks, maneuvers his hand underneath her bangs, pressing his palm lightly against her forehead. Aoi's eyes widen, and she is stunned by his actions.

"Ōdanna-sama," she squeaks, "what are you-".

"Hmm, you do not feel unusually warm," he murmurs contemplatively, interrupting her. He removes his hand and places it on her lower back. "Come, I'll make some tea for you." He guides her towards the cabin and into the spacious, Japanese-style room. He leads her towards the low table in the center of the room. Once she is seated, Ōdanna goes to shut the door. He opens one of the closets and pulls out a blanket. Aoi follows his figure as he returns back to the table, kneeling next to her.

"You can wrap yourself with this blanket to keep warm," he hands her the blanket then rummages through his haori sleeve. After a few seconds, he pulls out a paper package tied with string. He unties the package, revealing a generous amount of rice crackers, shaped like sakura blossoms, inside. He sets it onto the table then gets up. "Feel free to eat these. I'll go and make you some tea, Aoi." He then gracefully exits the room, leaving Aoi by herself.

Aoi remains still, unable to process the whirlwind of events that just occurred. She fingers the blanket given to her fondly before slowly unfolding it and wrapping it around her shoulders; the warmth from the blanket calms her. She then eyes the rice crackers. They look crisp and well-seasoned, all without any blemish. She picks one up with hesitation and takes bite. Her eyes widen in pleasant surprise.

"Hmm!" She murmurs appreciatively, taking another bite just as she finishes her first. As usual, nothing brings Aoi more joy than food. _I'll have to change that way of thinking_. Ōdanna muses as he begins scheming on exactly how he'll accomplish this goal. Besides, he knew, from experience, the increased satisfaction of biding his time and patiently ensnaring his prey.

Aoi was no exception. If anything, he would ensure that her thoughts centered primarily on him by the time she willingly accepts his proposal to be his wife.

Ōdanna glances over at her with intense eyes. Oh yes, he would relish breaking down her stubborn attitude and pushing her to succumb to his charms. However, he sighs dejectedly and picks up a rice cracker, examining it halfheartedly. Given his bride's fortitude of mind and determination, he knew that it would be an onerous challenge, one that he will gladly take on, of course.

Aoi, who had been blissfully enjoying her snack, sneaks a peek at Ōdanna, catching him staring intently at a rice cracker. She giggles, never having seen him look, dare she say, perplexed. After a while, she finally speaks up.

"It's not poisonous Ōdanna-sama," she jokes while popping another one into her mouth.

Pulled out of his reverie, Ōdanna's gaze catches hers and a slight blush creeps onto his cheeks as he realizes that he was being watched all this time. Trying to regain what little composure he felt he had, Ōdanna picked up a cracker, with a poise that Aoi could only dream of having, and placed it into his mouthh. As he grabbed another one, his actions encourages Aoi to also do the same. The two enjoy their tea and snack with companionable peace, conversing and teasing each other as the mood deems fit.

They arrived at the market just as the two had finished drinking their tea. Ōdanna helped Aoi up and led her back onto the deck. From the bow of the ship, the two were amazed by the sight of the busy marketplace below them in the distance. The sun sat nearly above the tallest tower in the distance. The water by the docks were gleaming as the sun hit the surface. Within the streets, the colorful array of kimonos, masks, and stalls created a stunning collage of colors that was a feast to see from above. Ōdanna and Aoi continued to admire the beauty as their ship descended.


	8. Holiday Planning

"Amazing Aoi-san!" Ginji praises as he studies the platters that Aoi just brought outside. She places the platters down onto the table that they had set up outside of Moonflower. The platters are filled with freshly baked cookies.

"What are these?"

"Ah, these are cookies that are popular in different regions of the Apparent Realm," Aoi explains as she arranges the platters on the table, along with the folded cloth napkins, plates, and mugs that were brought out earlier.

"Going clockwise, these are shortbread cookies, which originate from a country called England. Those light browned cookies with jam in them are called hallongrotta; they are from a country called Sweden. The golden brown cookies next to them are pineapple cookies - they are filled with a preservative made from a tropical fruit called pineapples and are popular in countries called Indonesia and Malaysia. The last ones are sandwich cookies that are filled with a caramelized sweeten milk. They're called alfajores; they are popular in a part of the Apparent Realm known as Latin America and a country called Spain."

"I see," Ginji says thoughtfully, taking in the new names and information. He continues to eye the cookies with sparkling eyes. Meanwhile, Aoi goes back into Moonflower to grab the remaining things from the kitchen.

This all started after Aoi had brought up Christmas while sharing stories with Ginji, Akatsuki, and. That led to a whole conversation about Christmas and the usual Christmas traditions. Her stories spread among the other employees at Tenjin-ya, and soon they all were adamant about celebrating this "Christmas", especially since winter was about to arrive.

Due to the excitement, Odanna had called for a meeting, where everyone was able to speak up about what they should do. It was decided that Tenjin'ya would host a Christmas party at Moonflower on the night of the winter solstice, since it was the closest time reference Aoi had to the actual Christmas date in the Hidden Realm. Additionally, many of the ayakashi wanted to decorate the inn as well, much to Byakuya's dismay, but even he got into the Christmas spirit once the planning had gone underway.

For the decorations, most of the employees chipped in to make them. The yuki-onna and O-Ryo made dozens of ice ornaments; of course, O-Ryo spent half of the time complaining of the extra work, but secretly she was excited about celebrating Christmas so she was surprisingly lenient with her grumbling. Byakuya had procured several crystal balls decorated with glimmering sparkles, which he got from Youto after attending a meeting there.

He brought them over while Aoi, Ginji, and Kasuga were cleaning up after Moonflower had closed. While admiring them, Aoi had joked that they remind her of these creatures that she often sees when she goes to the back mountain, which caused Byakuya to stumble while he was leaving Moonflower. He looked back at Aoi with a face full of flushed anger before composing himself and quickly taking his leave.

The chief chef also sent numerous dried herbs, berries, and tea leaves. Ginji had found Hu Ji Cheng, or mulberry mistletoe, which he found deep in the mountains behind Tenjin'ya. He brought a large bundle back to Moonflower and fashioned several wreaths using the mistletoes and mulberries. The three sisters had made several decorative pieces using mismatched hair ornaments that they had collected over the years.

With all the things they collected, Aoi convinced a sulking and rather reluctant Akatsuki to donate some of his webbing so that they could string all the decorations into and hang them in the trees in the garden.

It wasn't until this morning that the string of decorations were to be hung up. Akatsuki was tasked to do so, while the others prepared for the Christmas party that they would be having later. Sasuke and the other kamaitachi had offered to help with putting up the decorations, since they were the ones who knew the gardens the best and did not trust their front desk manager to be mindful of the more delicate trees in the garden.

As for the food, Aoi and the chief chef had spent a week planning a wonderful feast for everyone. Even now, the chief chef and his assistants were hard at work prepping all the ingredients for their Christmas feast. Aoi had tried to help, but he argued that she could handle the appetizers, drinks, and desserts. So between the two of them, the feast was underway.

Lastly, everyone wanted to partake in the usual Christmas activities that were done in the Apparent Realm. Hence, Aoi had to explain who Santa Claus is and the tradition of gift exchange. In the end, everyone agreed to participate in a Secret Santa gift exchange, and put up stockings, and to decorate sugar cookies. Planning began weeks before, but little by little things fell into place, especially since everyone pitched in.

Now, as Aoi stepped back outside carrying a large hot pot of water, a large bamboo basket filled with different kinds of onigiri, and a red tin container decorated with ribbon, those who were cleaning up inside Moonflower and those decorating the garden areas quickly finished their tasks before making their way towards the table. They crowded around the table and were welcomed with the sight of steaming hot cookies, which brought a joyful flush to all their faces, and they could not help but offer compliments as well.

"D-did you make all this food, Aoi-san?" Shizuya asks in amazement in her usual quiet voice once Aoi had finished setting up the table.

"Yes," she answers.

"You must have been cooking since early morning." Sasuke comments politely, still in awe of the display of food before him.

"Heh," Aoi coughs bashfully, "something like that." She did not want to admit that she had been baking all night. While she did feel lethargic, Aoi pushed those feelings to the side so that she could enjoy the company she around her.

"Go ahead and dig in," Aoi urges after she noticed their hungry stares.

With gusto, everyone grabbed something and began to eat. Almost instantly, Aoi was lavished with comments on how tasty the rice balls were and the new flavors of the cookies. Up in one of the trees, Akatsuki, who had continued working to put up the decor, watched longingly as his fellow peers devoured the food. _Save some food for me, at least!_ He pleaded internally as he doubled his efforts to finish up.

* * *

Author's Note:

Happy holidays everyone, and a happy new year! I hope you all had a restful holiday season.

I'm sorry for the long hiatus. It was mix of a busy schedule and writer's block that kept me from writing. For those who've been waiting for an update, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your patience; and for those of you who've left comments during my time away, thank you so much for your kind words! They truly were the motivation that pushed me to get over the writer's block, and to find time in my schedule to write. So again, thank you all!

Going forward, I may only be able to update twice a month, but I hope for those who've enjoyed these short stories thus far will continue to come back and read!

Thank everyone, and I will see you all again in the next update!


	9. Chapter 9

Aoi was humming a quiet tune as she and Kasuga hung up _furiganashi_ around Moonflower.

"Aoi-san, what are you humming?" Kasuga asked while she stepped down from the step stool she was on.

Aoi, who was by the entrance, looked over at Kasuga. With a smile, she answered, "This song?" Kasuga nodded. Without waiting for an answer, Kasuga continued to hang up the decorations.

Aoi resumed her work, a fond look forming on her face. Before her eyes, she could see her neighbors putting up furinagashi and making _senbatsuru_. The trees lining the street would be filled with _tanzaku_ from the residents. In the midst of this scene, an uplifting and folk-like singing brightened the scene. "It is a song I would hear people sing while getting ready for Tanabata. It is quite popular with the elderly folks."

Kasuga looked over at Aoi. There was a tone of fond remembrance in Aoi's voice. Whether it was because of this or other thoughts, her expression turned gloomy for a moment, before a forced smile appeared.

"Do you miss it?"

"Huh?" Aoi was pulled out of her daze.

"The Apparent Realm," Kasuga explained as she watched Aoi. "Do you miss it?"

Her question was unexpected, but it was one that Aoi was all too familiar with asking herself. Although she had kept her feelings of homesickness hidden when she had first arrived and learned to accept Tenjin'ya as her new home, from time to time she would feel a longing to go back and see the home she shared with her grandfather.

"From time to time I do," Aoi admitted. She met Kasuga's gaze and shot her a genuine smile full of teeth. "However, this is my home now." She finished hanging up the rest of the streamers then gestured for Kasuga to come inside with her. Kasuga obediently followed.

Aoi went into the kitchen to pull something out of the icebox. "Of course, I wouldn't leave anyways, no matter how homesick I felt."

The conviction in her words did not surprise Kasuga; after all, having been in the Hidden Realm for over 2 years now, Aoi could no longer be compared to the naive and hot-headed woman she was when she first arrived.

Kasuga quickly put away the stool and went to join Aoi. After taking a seat, Kasuga relaxed and watched Aoi as she began preparations for the celebration later tonight. Her fingers twitched every once in a while, as if she really wanted to help out, but Aoi had told her earlier that she wanted to handle all of the food preparations herself. Thus, all she could do was bitterly watch and converse with the overly stubborn human.

By late afternoon, all the preparations were finished. Kasuga had long left; Tenjin'ya was also busy preparing for their Tanabata festivities, thus she had been whisked away by O-Ryo to help out. Even Ginji had been called over early in the morning to take up his position as the Young Master. That said, Ōdanna was nowhere to be seen, constantly caught up in his own responsibilities.

Thinking about this, Aoi made an unpleasant face. In fact, her earlier excitement had waned as her thoughts turned to the Master Innkeeper she developed affections for.

"I know he's busy, but he'd always come over regardless of how busy he is." She complained as she put away the trays of cut vegetables and noodles. Her actions were on autopilot as she continued to vent.

"He promised that he would come see me before he left for the Apparent Realm. I know he must be busy, and he just came back yesterday night, but he would always come to see me. Could it be that he forgot?" Secretly, she had anticipated his visit all day, especially since he had been gone for over a week to do business in the Apparent Realm. Fortunately, they communicated daily using the correspondence system he had given her. Despite the contact, Aoi was unable to feel assured. While she wanted to deny that she missed him, her true feelings constantly reminded her that she could not lie to herself. Thus here she was, longing to see her oni lover. However, it was already this late in the afternoon and there was no sign of the tall Ogre God.

Since learning of his past and overcoming the numerous obstacles and ayakashi against them, Aoi and Ōdanna's relationship had improved greatly, to the point that she had agreed to his request to court her; this came as a shock to many of the employees at Tenjin'ya, especially since they knew the young lady's temperament. Of course, his feelings had not changed for her in all this time, and he lovingly referred to her as "his bride", just as he always had.

"It's Tanabata today." She pouted, a flush appearing on her cheeks as the words she refused to say floated through her head. 'It's a day for lovers, yet why hasn't he come to see me, his . . .' She stopped her thoughts there, unable to bring her to continue. The longer she thought about the fact that she had still not seen him, the more disheartened she felt.

A few minutes passed by before Aoi slapped her cheeks. She shook her head, as if to get rid of her melancholy. "Yosh, stop thinking about these things, Aoi. You still have things to do!" She chided herself. After the quick pep talk, Aoi finished cleaning up the kitchen. The last of the pudding she had made were still on the counter and needed to be put into the icebox to set. Aoi carefully lifted the tray, The pudding jiggled ever so slightly, creating a cute and satisfying sight that made Aoi giggle. It had taken her a few tries to master the dish, since the custard of the other batches always came out too soft or too hard for her liking. With slow movements, she turned around and made her way towards the back of the kitchen.

Just as she was about to crouch down and open the icebox, the door was roughly opened, slamming against the wooden frame with a loud _crack_! The abrupt noise frightened Aoi. In her fright, she slipped on some water that had spilled while she was washing vegetables earlier and she landed harshly on her bum. Not only that, but two or three of the puddings fell onto her apron and clothes.

"Ah!" She rubbed her sore but with a grimace. Before she could even notice the pudding or get angry over it, a familiar voice called out to her.

"Aoi-san, where are you?!" A familiar voice called out from the entrance, followed by the thunks of frantic sandals running across the wooden floor to the kitchen counter. Peering down from the other side was none other than Ginji. Based on the concern on his face, he must have heard her fall.

Aoi was surprised at seeing her close companion. 'Why is Ginji-san here? Also, why is my hand sticky?' Aoi looked away to inspect her hand. As her eyes fell onto the tray she was holding with her hands, she discovered that there was soft custard all over her apron. She realized what she had done and her face was marred by an ugly frown as her glare aimed at the ayakashi.

"Ginji-san, you scared me!" Her chiding voice was crisp and sharp. She remained sitting on the ground, her legs haphazardly sprawled out beneath her. She had custard dripping down her apron and onto the floor and wore a displeased expression. Ginji noticed this as well, and his eyes flew open.

"Aoi-san," Ginji wore an apologetic expression; his ears were pressed down and he stood before her like a guilty child. He knew better than anyone how much effort Aoi had put into perfecting tonight's dessert. For her to have ruined some of them, and get injured, because of him was weighing down on him. He walked forward, intending to help her get up, but she gave him a look that clearly showed her refusal for help.

With a huff, she managed to get off the ground with the tray still in her hands. Aoi looked away and hastily placed the tray into the icebox, not wanting to ruin any more desserts, before turning around to face her "guest".

"Ginji-san," Aoi said coolly.

Before she could get another word in, Ginji butted in with a frantic apology. "I'm really sorry Aoi-san! I didn't mean for any of this to happen!" He gave her a deep bow and remained in that position.

Aoi refused to be moved and opened her mouth once more. "Regardless of whether or not your actions were intentional, things would have ended up just as they have." She let out another angry huff. "Also, more than that, you should be careful about the door, Ginji-san! We already replaced it twice - the first time was after Matsuba-sama crashed into it a few months ago when he came for Moonflower's anniversary, and the second time was because Ai convinced you and Ōdanna-sama to teach her how to do tricks with your flames and accidentally set the front entrance on fire."

She rubbed her head, an impending headache forming when she remember the scolding they had gotten from Byakuya once he found out. Ginji straightened up from his bow, thinking that Aoi was done. However, he was so very wrong. Before he could even get a word in, Aoi continued with her rant, and Ginji had to endure with his scolding.

After 15 minutes of endless tirade, Aoi was out of breathe, and Ginji looked thoroughly beaten with a face that clearly showed regret. Once she stopped talking, the two kept quiet for a while. Neither of them felt like disturbing the unsettling stillness between them.

Ginji was the one that spoke first. "Sorry, Aoi-san."

Aoi was unimpressed by his apology and crossed her arms, refusing to look at him with puffed cheeks, looking much like a pouting child. Seeing this, Gini using his last resort. There a poof of smoke and a scuttling of light footsteps.

Ginji walked up to Aoi and pleaded with a tearful tone, "Please don't be mad at me Aoi-san. I won't do it again, I promise! Please believe me."

Hearing the pitiful sound of Ginji's high-pitched voice, Aoi unpuffed her cheeks. Knowing her weakness, she refused to meet his gaze. 'As long as I don't look at his face, I'll be fine.' She thought while preparing herself. Unfortunately, Ginji was well-versed on how to make people submit, and he moved his face into her line of vision. He then looked up at her with sparkling eyes full of tears and sadness and an innocent face.

Aoi gritted her teeth and lamented as she felt her resolve wane. 'He's not playing fair!' She stared him down, hoping that his puppy expression will crack. However, after a few minutes, it was she that was unable to remain mad and sighed with a resigned tone. Her arms relaxed and her angry face melted away.

"Forget it," Aoi waved her hands at the ayakashi. "I can never stay mad when you're in this form."

Ginji just gave her a cheeky smile. With a poof of smoke, he transformed back into his adult form.

"Why'd you come here in such a hurry?" Aoi asked, cutting to the chase. She left the kitchen to sit on a stool next to the counter.

In the time that she had gotten angry and had forgiven the fox ayakashi that crashed into her restaurant, Aoi had forgotten about her soiled clothes. Ginji followed and stood next to her with a contemplative expression, taking his time to answer. He glanced down at her clothing, not lingering for too long. He looked unwilling to point it out at this time.

"We need some help in the main building," he finally admitted. He did not hide the worry from his face, and it made Aoi anxious.

"What's wrong?"

"We're running low on time." Ginji explained with a tired sigh, "Our order of decorations just arrived. We got a message from the supplier this morning that their ship had malfunctioned and so we had to send Tenjin-maru to retrieve the stuff. It finally arrived, but Byakuya is unsure if we can get everything up in time."

He gave Aoi a helpless smile. "On top of that, several VIP guests have begun to arrive. We don't have enough workers right now. I ran over here to see if you would not mind helping to cover-"

"Of course I can help, I don't mind!" Aoi shot up from her seat.

Ginji had a wide-eyed expression. Trying again to explain, Ginji said, "Wait, Aoi-san. Let me explain. We were asked if you could help to serve a-" He was cut off again by Aoi, who showed him a bright smile. "It's alright, Ginji-san. I'll help you, so don't worry."

'If I go over there now, I might get to see Ōdanna-sama,'. Having been anticipating his arrival all day, her patience was drawing thin and any opportunity she can get to see him, she'd take it!

With a defeated sigh, Ginji dropped whatever he was going to say. Glancing at the young lady who was heading towards the door, he pointed out, "Aoi-san, I'll take you to the baths first so you can clean up." Aoi paused. She had forgotten about the custard on her clothes. Remembering, she flushed. "Uhh," she groaned with a nod. She did her best to take off her apron, without getting the custard anywhere else, then quickly finished cleaning up the kitchen. Once it was pristine, she went over to Ginji, who waited patiently by the door with a face full of amusement. She sighed and ignored him, following him out and towards Tenjin'ya.

* * *

Glossary:

- _furinagashi_ = colorful streamers hung up as decoration during Tanabata

 _-senbatsuru_ = paper cranes

- _tanzaku_ = colorful pieces of paper that people use to write down wishes; often hung on trees

* * *

A/N:

I am back.

To all of you who have been waiting patiently for an update to this story, I am sincerely sorry for the wait! To explain briefly, my schedule was crammed during the late winter and early spring because I began taking a class on top of working. Also, in addition to the time crunch, I experienced a period of writer's block and lack of motivation and couldn't figure out where to start again with this collection.

However, I never forgot about this fanfic collection, and it was mainly due to your guys' comments for updates that led me back here! So thank you so much, those who have been waiting, and those who have been reading my work during this period of hiatus. You will never understand how much your words meant to me during this time. I will try to get around to replying to you all ASAP!

Personally, I did not want to update the story with a hiatus notice, because I didn't want to give those following this story false expectations - thinking that there was a new chapter. I'm unsure of how often I'll be able to update going forward, thus, all I can say is that I will do my utmost best to update the story, however frequently I am able to.

Thank you all for your support, and I will see you in the next update!

-oni-pineapple


	10. Chapter 10

Walking through the halls, there was hardly any workers about. Aoi peered around and noticed that a lot of the decorations in this area were already put up. It was fortunate that the halls were nearly empty, since it meant that Aoi and Ginji could walk quickly without pause.

While walking, Aoi watched her companion from the corner of his eyes. His face was calm, but his eyes were clouded with worry. Her eyebrows curled. 'Ginji-san, what's going on?' She did not want to ask further, having an innate feeling that Ginji would brush off her concern and insist that everything was alright. He didn't say anything to her and continued to lead her towards the baths.

In a matter of minutes, the two stood before the familiar blue and red curtains of the bath entrances. "Go on inside, Aoi." Ginji instructed. "Once you're done, I will meet you in that room." He pointed to the room at the far end of the hallway. Aoi followed his finger and nodded once she determined which room he was gesturing towards.

"Alright. I won't be long." Aoi bid Ginji thanks then walked through the curtains.

She went over towards the shelves to undress. She heard someone come in from the direction of the bath. Turning to her right, she saw that it was Shizuna.

"Shizuna-chan," she called out to the girl with a friendly smile.

"Aoi-san." Shizuna approached her with a similar, but more ethereal, smile. "Are you here to bathe?"

"Ginji-san brought me over to get cleaned up after I spilled food on myself." As she said this, Aoi took out the carmelia hairpin and pulled her hair up. "Oh," she cried out, "I forgot to bring a hair tie."

Shizuna let out a chime-like giggle and held out her hand. "You can borrow this, Aoi-san." She held a simple white hair ribbon and offered it to Aoi. Aoi accepted it gratefully. "Thanks, Shizuna-chan." The action reminded Aoi of her first time coming to the baths. The same thing happened back then as it did today, and the similarities made her laugh.

"Aoi-san?" Shizuna looked puzzled as to why Aoi had laughed all of a sudden. Calming down, Aoi gave the young bathkeeper an explanation, "Something similar happened the first time I came here."

Shizuna's eyes widened, as if recalling the incident. She flushed with happiness at the memory and focused her attention on her hands, which were clenched together in front of her. "It feels like so long ago." Her voice was soft and full of emotion. "So many things have happened."

"Hnn," Aoi nodded, her eyes glancing fondly at the hairpin that laid safely on top of her folded clothes. 'If it were not for him, I wouldn't have come here. I wouldn't have met everyone'- Aoi quickly stole a glance at Shizuna before focusing her attention back on the hairpin -'and I wouldn't have had the chance to experience so many new adventures.'

Aoi could feel her chest tighten, and brought a fist up, pressing it firmly against the place that felt tight. 'Ōdanna-sama.' It was baffling to her how much she missed his presence; how things had changed so drastically over the past year. She sighed and attempted to rid herself of these sentimental thoughts. She had come over because Ginji said they needed help. It would be troublesome if she took too long to clean up and ended up making Ginji wait.

"Aoi-san, I'll leave you to get ready while I prepare the bath." Shizuna gave her a bow, then left Aoi so that she could have some privacy. Aoi watched her leave and didn't resume undressing until the room was silent apart from the sound of her breathing. Only then did she finish undressing and went out, a towel draped over her arm, to go and clean herself.

Entering the steamy room, there was no one else there apart from her; the notion of having the bath all to herself made her pleased immensely. She quickly rinsed herself off and used the soaps provided to wash her body and hair, rinsing well to get all the suds off. After she had thoroughly cleansed herself, Aoi strode towards the pool. Shizuna was already kneeling beside the pool. She was dropping several mineral crystals into the water. In her lap was a small basket of dried hydrangea petals. They were a beautiful blend of *rouge-pink and muted lavender petals. She would drop one crystal into the water, agitating the water to help it dissolve, then took a handful of petals and sprinkled them over the water. The moment the petals dissolved in the crystal-clear water, a wonderful fragrance filled the air. She continued this pattern until she had used up all of the crystals.

Aoi rinsed herself then walked over towards the onsen. She knelt on the edge and placed a hand into the pool. The water was hot but felt unusually smooth. The sensation of the water on her hand surprised Aoi. 'The water feels so strange. It's almost . . . silky.' She got up and eased into the hot water, which immediately relaxed her.

"Ahh, this feels good~!" Aoi leaned back against the wooden frame of the pool.

"I'm glad you are enjoying it, Aoi-san," Shizuna looked content at knowing that the bath was a success. "Today's bath is special; it's a bihada no yu bath. It's enhanced with the calming scent of hydrangea petals."

Aoi's face lit up. It was so radiant that one could envision flowers blooming behind her. She had heard of this type of bath; many of the girls in her high school would plan trips to bihada no yu onsens during breaks, especially after exams. Even she had wanted to experience such a bath, but she did not have the luxury to do so after her grandfather fell and passed away. To think that she would be able to enjoy it today, it left her feeling giddy.

She attentively watched as Shizuna finished putting in the rest of the flower petals into the pool. The originally crystal-clear water took on a light magenta hue. It smelled delightful, reminding her of the small residence in the back of the mountain; there were hydrangeas planted around the building. Whenever she and Ōdanna would spend an afternoon together, they would open the door to allow the breeze to enter, which would bring the scent of hydrangeas into the room. The pool smelled just like that, and it brought the cherished memories of their time spent in that residence, away from Tenjin'ya and Moonflower - just the two of them.

"Nee, Shizuna-chan, have you seen Ōdanna-sama today?"

Her question caught Shizuna off-guard. "Eh, Ōdanna-sama?"

"I heard he came back last night." Aoi waded over and settled herself closer to the young bath caretaker.

"Yes, we welcomed him back last night." Shizuna confirmed.

"Have you seen him?" Aoi turned her body so that she could continue to look towards Shizuna's direction. Shizuna averted her eyes, staring down at the petals instead, "I haven't seen him." Her voice was soft, almost a mumble, and lacked conviction; it sounded like a lie and made Aoi suspicious. "Do you know if he is still here or if he left again?" The last words was hard for her to get out; she did not want to think that Ōdanna had left without telling her, much less coming by to let her know. The months when he went missing and the journey she took to get him back came back to her, along with the frantic worry and fear she had felt. She did not want to think about him disappearing without a word.

Shizuna seemed to understand where Aoi's thoughts were going, and she hastily reassured her. "Ōdanna-sama wouldn't do that again, Aoi-san. He just returned, so he shouldn't have left Tenjin'ya again so soon."

"He was supposed to see me today." Aoi crossed her arms and laid them down against the edge of the pool. She rested her head in the crook of her elbow and closed her eyes. "He promised."

Shizuna appeared to be at a loss for words, unable to find a way to cheer up her friend. She clenched her fists and replied, "I-If it is Ōdanna-sama, Aoi-san will definitely see him soon." She did not look at Aoi, nor did she say anything more. Instead, with determination, she leaned forward and placed her hand into the pool. She muttered an incantation. Aoi opened her eyes to observe; she was always amazed by the magic and amazing feats that only existed in the Hidden Realm, and this was one of them. Once Shizuna was done, small sparkling orbs rose out of the water. With it, the smell of hydrangea permeated the steamy room and the Aoi felt a sudden sensation of relaxation. She slumped further against the edge of the pool and felt her downtrodden emotions melt away.

"What . . . did you do . . . Shizuna-chan?" Aoi's words were slurred as the muscles in her body relaxed completely. She melted into the water drowsily. The warmth and silky feel of the water felt more relaxing and soothing to her now then it did when she first got in.

"It is a relaxation incantation." Shizuna straightened up and brushed some strands of hair that had fallen forward behind her ear. "I am not able to cheer you up with words Aoi-san, but"- she got up and placed the basket into the crook of her waist, turning to face her -"as your friend, I want to do what I can to reassure you."

Aoi gazed in awe at Shizuna's determined face. It slowly morphed into a heartwarming smile. Upon seeing it, Shizuna flushed, but returns the smile.

"I will leave now, Aoi-san. Please enjoy the bath in peace."

"Hmm," Aoi agreed without resistance. Right now, she felt blissful and her eyes were becoming heavy. She let them close, then settled further into her crossed arms. She stayed in the water, half-asleep, for another 15 minutes. By then the drowsiness she was subjected to finally wore off enough for her to not feel so sluggish. She rubbed the scented water onto her arms, chest, and neck before getting up.

Aoi left the baths dressed in Tenjin'ya's yukata. Her soiled clothes had been taken away, replaced with the yukata she currently wore. Thankfully, whoever removed her clothing had left her hair pin and shoes. Once she had donned her new clothes and shoes, she grabbed her hair pin, placing it into her sleeve, then left the changing room into the hallway. She had not even turned around when, a polite voice called out to her. "Aoi-sama." Behind her was one of the Nopperabou sisters.

"What are you doing here?" Aoi was taken aback at seeing the familiar figure.

Ignoring her question, the ayakashi bid her to follow her. "Follow me, Aoi-sama. My sisters and I will help you get dressed." In the distance, beside the door to the room Ginji had pointed out, the other two sisters were waiting.

"Eh?" She did not follow the short ayakashi and stood there dumbfoundedly.

Noticing her hesitance, the ayakashi beckoned her to follow. "Hurry Aoi-sama, don't just stand there. We don't have much time!" Prompted by her words, Aoi finally began to walk. She could see the other two sisters behind the shortest Nopperabou sister. Once she had caught up with them, the three sisters ushered her into the room. She admired the room the instant she stepped foot inside.

The room was sparsely furnished. There was a small sitting table off to the side, along with a body-sized mirror and a window on the opposite wall, situated by the right corner of the room. In addition, there was a small vanity to her left, pushed up against the wall over to the left, next to the mirror, with a few ornately decorated lacquered boxes resting on top of it. Beside it was a large wooden chest decorated with an engraving of two Koi fish facing each other, forming a circle, and swimming within a sea of blossoms.

"Come here, Aoi-sama! We can't dawdle!" One of the sisters dragged her towards the vanity, getting her to sit without resistance. Once seated, the sisters immediately got to work. First, they removed the new clothing held within the wooden chest and assisted Aoi into it. Then they combed Aoi's hair and plaited it into a sophisticated updo, leaving strands of her bangs to frame her cheeks; her usual rose quartz hair pin was put into place as well. Lastly, they applied a very thin layer of make up. It was light and meant to enhance the natural beauty Aoi already possessed. Within an hour, the Nopperabou sisters had successfully gotten Aoi ready.

The three stood back to admire their work. With a nod of their head, it was evident that they were pleased with the outcome. "Come here and take a look." One of the sisters moved the mirror so that Aoi could see.

Seeing her reflection, Aoi was surprised by the elegant figure staring back at her. The kimono she wore was similar in style as the one O-Ryo wore, except for a few distinct differences. One difference was the color. Unlike the usual light blue kimono the snow woman opted to wear, Aoi's was a gentle peach color; the obi was still the same dark blue color though. In addition, there were decorations on her kimono. The hem of her skirt and sleeves were decorated with clusters of silver, green, and blue stars. Lastly, her sleeves were longer and more opulent. Overall, the regality of her clothing closely resembled the kimono that Suzuran had worn when Aoi first met her. However, Aoi could tell that this kimono was easier to move in than the one worn by Suzuran.

'So pretty,' she thought as she admired the outfit and studied it from the front and back as she pleased. She took her time, warming up to the outfit fairly quickly.

Of course, while admiring one's self, one cannot avoid seeing their face. Thus, once Aoi got a clear view of her face for the first time, she was left speechless.

'Is that me?' She wondered in awe. The face she saw staring back at her was one that belonged to a fairy rather than herself. Her face was covered in a light powder and a soft pink blush had been applied to her cheeks, giving her face warmth and a healthy flush. The sisters had applied kohl onto her eyes, but it was barely noticeable and functioned mainly to widen the shape of her eyes, giving her a youthful appearance. They had also applied a bold red eyeshadow along the outer corners of her eyes. Lastly, her lips had been covered with a glossy carmine lip color. It was not bold and brought out the lightness of her complexion.

"You look beautiful, Aoi-sama." The one that spoke was the tall and thin sister. "Truly, whoever sees you tonight will feel blessed." Nodding next to her was the stout sister, who said, "Indeed, indeed. The guest will be pleased!"

"Hey, don't reveal too much!" The smallest chided the two.

Their words caught Aoi's attention. "What do you mean?" She glanced at them through their reflections in the mirror. Without any faces, it was hard to know what sort of expressions they would be wearing, however, their earlier excitement had suddenly disappeared. She saw as they glanced at each other but remained silent. Eventually, it was the stout sister that spoke up, her voice subdued.

"Were you not told, Aoi-sama?"

"Told what?" She asked. Before they could answer her, there was a knock at the door and a voice that addressed her. "Aoi-san, I'm coming in."

The four immediately recognized the fox's voice. The door slid open, revealing the tall figure of Tenjin'ya's young master carrying a tray. Through the mirror's reflection, Aoi saw that he no longer wore his usual outfit. While she had been getting ready, he had changed into a formal kimono. The haori was white with gold accents along the inner hemline. His obi was a black with golden lines running through it horizontally. His hakama was a dark grey-blue. The clothes were tailored to his figure and gave him a domineering aura. However, the powerful presence was undermined by the appreciative smile he had on his face.

"Waah, Aoi-san. You look beautiful!" His praise caused Aoi to blush, but she accepted his heartwarming compliments. "Thanks, Ginji-san."

"I asked Kasuga to prepare tea and snakes for us to enjoy." Ginji said, setting down the tray before going back to close the door.

"That sounds good," Aoi replied, facing away from the mirror. She watched as he sat at the table then looked up expectantly at her.

"Come and sit, Aoi-san."

While she settled into the tatami mat, the Nopperabou sisters bid their leave with a quick bow. Once the door shut with the usual crack, it is just the two of them.

"Aoi-san," Ginji said slowly. He poured tea for the two of them before resuming. "Earlier, you didn't allow me to explain what we need help with. I'm sure you have questions." He handed her a cup of hot tea, She received it with a small smile, before asking, "What is it?"

She observed Ginji as stared down at the table. He sat up straight, with perfect posture, and there was a solemn air that curled around him, making Aoi nervous. 'Ginji-san looks serious,' she thought as she saw that his face became grimmer.

"A dignified guest arrived this afternoon," he admitted after minutes of silence, still refusing to meet her eyes.

"A dignified guest?" Aoi repeated.

With an unwilling expression, Ginji continued. "He is a high-ranking ayakashi from Youto. He visited to enjoy the Tanabata festivities tonight and an excursion on Tenjin-maru." He didn't say anymore after that, taking a short break to bring his cup up to his lips. After enjoying a sip, he sighed, cradling his cup with both hands, and said, "Usually, Ōdanna-sama would entertain such guests."

Aoi nodded by default, taking in the information slowly. After a moment, her brain realized the implications of his words and her eyes lit up with a revelation. "Is that why he didn't come by Moonflower?"

Ginji flinched, as if her words had slapped him. Luckily, Aoi did not notice it. He kept his eyes averted. "Well . . . Aoi-san . . ." He left off there, unable or unsure of how to respond. He ignored her imploring expression, which he saw when he rolled his eyes upward to see her through his bangs. He gulped at the face she made and took another sip of tea.

"Ginji-san . . . why aren't you saying anything?" A sinking feeling began to form in her stomach. She hastily lifted up her tea cup, intending to take a sip to calm herself.

"Byakuya-san told me not to tell you, but-" Ginji stopped mid-sentence again. He closes his eyes, as if in thought. As he does so, his thumbs mindlessly strokes the rim of his tea cup anxiously. Aoi is drawn to the sound of his voice and patiently waits for him to speak. Finally, he gathered his thoughts and sighed, "But . . .I think you should know, Aoi-san."

Ginji took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He opened his eyes. The usual cheerful glint in them was long gone. Instead, there is a sharp seriousness that darkened the blue hues. "Ōdanna-sama left Tenjin'ya this morning, and up till now, he still hasn't returned."

* * *

A/N:

New update! For those following, I hope you guys are enjoying this new episode/story. It is a bit different from the ones I usually write, being that it is a bit more involved plot-wise. Nonetheless, I will have a new update up within the next two or so days. That being said, I will sign off here; see you all next time!

-oni-pineapple.

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Glossary:

-Bihada no yu = "beautiful skins water", a sodium bicarbonate saline onsen that helps to fully cleanse the skin and leave behind a radiant and smooth complexion (source:  /2017/01/hot-water-types-japanese-onsen-surprising-health-benefits/)

-hakama = traditional Japanese wide-legged trousers


	11. Chapter 11

Aoi, who was about to take a sip of tea, stiffened. Her mind blanked, except for one prominent thought that took over: 'Ōdanna-sama left?' The longer she sat there, thinking about what those three words meant, the more visible the whites around her irises became. Tilting her head downwards, the only thing she could see was the ceramic cup of hot tea in her hands.

Without lifting her head, Aoi placed down the cup with shaky hands. Her thoughts jumbled into a worried mess as she began to ponder about where he went, why he went, if he was safe, when he would be back, what he was doing right now, whether he had gotten hurt again . . .

As Aoi's thoughts spiraled further downwards, the color drained from her cheeks. Her eyes became frenzied beneath her bangs.

Without warning, Aoi shot up onto her knees and slammed her palms forcefully down onto the table. Her actions startled Ginji, who had been in the middle of retrieving something from his sleeve. As she kept herself up in that position, Ginji could see that her arms were trembling and her face was pale.

"Aoi-san!?" He stared wide-eyed at Aoi.

Her eyes were unblinking and glazed over, staring in front of her, unfocused. She began muttering things that were barely audible to Ginji, who could only hear cut-off phrases that were muttered just below a whisper.

"It can't be . . . where could he have gone . . . perhaps someone took him . . . did he get hurt again. . . ?" As she spoke, she slowly sunk back down till she sat on the tatami mat with her legs bent on either side of her. Her hands and arms, which had been shaking, laid limp, and her breathing had become unstable.

Seeing her in this state, Ginji moved closer to her. "Aoi-san, calm down," he said softly as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "Sit down and drink some tea." He managed to get her to sit down and assisted her in drinking some tea. After a few sips, the cloudiness in her eyes lessened. Setting the cup down, he reached over towards the basket of shortbread cookies that he brought in with the tea.

"Here," he presented the shortbread to her, "go ahead and eat it." She accepted the cookie, nibbling on it while Ginji watched. When she had finished her first, he retrieved another, which she willingly took from his hand. By the time she had eaten four, her mood had stabilized.

"Thanks Ginji-san," Aoi finished her cup of tea on her own, gracing him with a smile that did not quite reach her eyes. She picked up another cookie, examining it for a moment, then took a bite. The sweet, crumbly texture teased her tongue with its familiar flavor. She took another glance at the cookie but could not figure out what about it intrigued her.

As she chewed, she gave her companion an expression that belied her actual worry. "Ginji-san, can you tell me more about this _guest_ you mentioned?"

Ginji didn't answer immediately. "Well," He let out a breath and looked away, "to be honest, I know very little about this guest. However, Ōdanna-sama left these behind." There was movement out of the corner of his eye once he said that.

Aoi sat up straighter and leaned forwards towards Ginji upon receiving the news. An amused twinkle appeared in Ginji's eyes as he pulled out the items he had wanted to retrieve earlier from his sleeve and laid them down before her.

There were two folded pieces of parchment onto the table, each bearing Ōdanna's seal. One was already broken and addressed to Ginji. The other, however, was still closed and not addressed to anyone. The only thing that set it apart from the other letter was a soft scent of hydrangeas emanating from it. Upon smelling it, Aoi knew it was for her.

"You should open yours, Aoi-san," Ginji pushed the unopened letter towards her.

Aoi said nothing and picked up the letter. Without pause, she opened the seal, making careful movements to ensure the paper remains intact. Once freed, she unfolded the parchment and immediately scanned through the written message:

 _Aoi, if you are reading this, then I will have already left Tenjin'ya._

 _A special guest should be arriving soon. Byakuya will explain everything you need to know. Rely on Ginji and the others if you need help. I am entrusting him to you._

 _Stay safe, Aoi._

The letter was brief, written in the familiar, elegant calligraphy that Aoi loved so much. The words calmed Aoi more than anything anyone else could say to her. At the bottom of the page, she noticed a pressed pink camellia; surrounding it were imprints of three flying magpies. She brought a finger to the delicate petals, petting it tenderly.

'Ōdanna-sama,' Tucking her head down to hide her saddened eyes from Ginji, she could not hold back a wistful smile from breaking loose on her face. 'I really cannot keep up with you.'

"Aoi-san?"

Aoi lifted her head and shook her head. "I'm alright."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine, however, I need to go and speak with Byakuya-san." She aimed a smile a him and made a move to get up.

"I will take you to see him then, although I'm unsure of where he might be right now."

"You don't need to accompany me, Ginji-san." Aoi tried to refuse his help, holding up both her hands.

Her words made his eyebrows scrunch up. "That won't do, Aoi-san. Since there are so many guests at the inn, it's not entirely safe for you to walk around on your own."

Wrinkles appeared on her nose, "I'm not so weak that I cannot defend myself." Folding her arms across her chest, Aoi argued. "Besides, the preparation have not been completed, right?"

Ginji averted his eyes. Aoi gave a half-hearted smile of triumph. 'I thought so."

"Even so," Ginji pushed, "Ōdanna-sama explicitly instructed me to protect you whenever he left Tenjin'ya."

Aoi let out a huff as she blushed, both touched and annoyed by Ōdanna's persistent coddling and worry. "I'm not a child," she argued, crossing her arms in defiance. "And with so many eyes present, it won't be easy for someone to try to harm or kidnap me."

"That's true, but"-

"I'll be alright," Aoi refused to back down. "Besides, I've kept you for too long. Ginji-san, you should head back." Aoi got up while Ginji tried to reason with her.

"At least allow me to accompany you to find him, Aoi-san."

"No need," she replied without hesitation, walking towards the screen door. "I'll go and find Byakuya-san myself."

"That won't be necessary, Aoi-kun." An authoritative voice rung out from the other side of the shoji door, which immediately opened and revealed a familiar white-outfited figure.

"Byakuya-san," Aoi greeted him while frozen in place, not expecting him to appear out of the blue.

"Sit down," he ordered as he breezed past her. He went straight to the seat to Ginji's right. Aoi returned to her seat without complaint. She and Ginji shared a defeated look before she turned to their new companion, gracing him with her worried expression.

"Is it true that Ōdanna-sama hasn't come back yet?"

Byakuya gave a reluctant sigh. "Indeed. We lost contact with him earlier this afternoon. We sent out our fastest ayakashi go to find him, but they were unsuccessful." He pulled out his fan and whipped it open with a _snap_! He held it up to his face, as if to hide his worry from Aoi and Ginji. "No one knows where he could have gone."

"Then, what are we going to do?" Aoi asked with a tone laced with apprehension. "And didn't a distinguished guest arrive? Who will entertain him?"

"We've already ensured that the festivities will run as smoothly as possible without Ōdanna-sama," Byakuya explained in a calm, stern voice. "I and Ginji will personally be overlooking all aspects, so tonight's activities will go on without a hitch. As for the guest,"- he snapped his fan shut and gave Aoi a hard look, as if daring her to refuse -"it's been decided that you will accompany and entertain him in Ōdanna-sama's stead, Aoi-kun."

* * *

A quick update!

Thanks for your warm wishes and compliments! Depending on my schedule, which got extremely busy after the last update (which is why I wasn't able to post another chapter as I had promised), I may only be able to update once or twice a month.

Please continue to follow, if you haven't already, and I will be back soon!


	12. Chapter 12

A/N:

After many months, I have finally managed to post again.

To be brief and frank, after the last update, I was becoming stumped and frustrated with how long this mini-series - if you can call it that - was taking. In addition to that, I began to dislike my writing style. All of these things made it so that while drafting this chapter, I lost interest and stopped drafting this chapter half-done. I did not even open the document for this story from August to October, and it wasn't until last month that I had the confidence to finish drafting. I was in the midst of doing NaNoWriMo when I did, and was waiting till now to post.

Thank you for all of those who have left reviews and urged me to come back. It was those few messages that made me want to write again. I cannot thank you enough!

I will be more busy when the new year hits, so I cannot promise regular updates. I can only say that I will attempt to continue with this, since I truly enjoy Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi, its story, characters, and the world.

That is all from me. I hope you enjoy this short chapter~

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"Eh?!" Aoi's eyes widened in flabbergasted surprise. The two watched, half-amused, as her lips flapped unattractively like a fish out of water, her voice refusing to come out. They tried so hard to keep from laughing. However, after a minute, she managed to squeak out a, "Why me?".

Unable to keep silent, Ginji duck his head off to the side to hide and attempt to suppress his laughter, and Byakuya had to snap open his fan and began coughing as he choked from stopping a chuckle from leaving his lips. However, he managed to keep his eyebrows curled , which made him appear irritated rather than jovial. Fortunately, Aoi did not notice their unusual behavior since she immediately hid her face in her hands and pondered about her bad luck today.

It took her a few minutes to get her bearings down and straighten her back. She shifted her stance so that she stood facing the two sitting at the table. Her eyes were still full of numbness despite the rest of her face faking calmness. The other two had also managed to revert to their original countenance and waited for her to speak first. Aoi did just that.

"Is there a reason why I was chosen?" She began to fidget with the hem of her sleeves. "I mean, you could ask O-Ryo. I am sure she'd be ecstatic to take on the job."

"We've already considered her," Byakuya explained, snapping his fan shut. "However, due to the sheer numbers of guests that have arrived, she will be needed here at Tenjin'ya."

"What do you mean by that?"

Byakuya sighed in exasperation. "You will be entertaining our guest on Tenjin-maru."

Aoi gave him an incredulous look. Requesting for Tenjin-maru meant that the guest must be highly distinguished. It took time to prepare the ship for service, and given today's festivities, all of the ships were already reserved. Other than the King of Ayakashi, the Eight Great Hachiyos or the handful of high-ranking ayakashi from Youto, for any other guest to request Tenjin-maru in such a short period of time, it would be near impossible.

"Does this guest have a large party?"

"No." Byakuya answered without hesitation. "There will only be the guest and their companion."

"What is expected of me?" She asked, trying to understand the role she was reluctantly beginning to accept.

"You will be entertaining them."

Aoi shot him a disbelieving look and scoffed, _Does he expect me to play the koto or dance? I can't do either of those things!_

As if reading her mind, Byakuya added, in an almost teasing manner, "However, it won't be anything such as dancing or playing music, so be rest assured." The sarcastic lilt of his tone caused Aoi to blush angrily at him, ashamed that her thoughts were so transparent.

Before she could retort, the infuriatingly fickle Chief Accountant continued, but with a serious tone that made Aoi doubt that he had just been teasing her seconds ago.

"The guest requested that you be the one who serves him and his guest."

Aoi got up to her feet. Something about the solemnity of Byakuya's words made her antsy, and she could not help but pace in front of them. She fidgeted with her arms until she finally crossed them over her chest. Her face was marred with confusion and her mind spun through a myriad of thoughts.

"Aoi-san."

Turning to her friend, she graced him a pitiful look.

"Why me?" She whined with an anxious tone.

"Do you refuse?" Byakuya interceded, not answering her question. His gaze pierced into Aoi's eyes as he unfurled his fan and brought it up to his face.

Aoi turned to face a wall, her eyes unseeing but full of uncertainty. His question left much to be desired. _It is not as if I want to refuse, but I don't get why I am asked to do these things._

Aoi uncurled her arms and allowed them to drop to her sides, lifeless. "I don't know."

"Aoi-san, come back to the table." Ginji urged, remembering that she was still standing, between them and the shoji door. Aoi obediently did as he bade. Once she was seated and given another cookie to munch on, Ginji spoke again.

"Will you help us, Aoi-san?"

The cookie Aoi had between her teeth snapped as she bit down on it. Hard. She chomped on the piece slowly, too befuddled to begin to pick out the sweet and nutty flavor. After nibbling through the entire cookie, she rested her hands in her lap.

"Do you think I can do a good job?" Her voice was quiet enough so that only Ginji and Byakuya could hear.

"That is up to you to decide, Aoi-kun." He put down his fan and laid it neatly before him. "But, I am confident that you won't fail tremendously."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Aoi questioned, becoming annoyed by his brusque attitude.

"I doubt you can do any worse than you imagine you'll do."

Aoi groaned and watched him angrily as he sipped his tea. "Besides," he continued, catching her annoyed gaze on him, "it can only be you."

"You'll do fine, Aoi-san." Ginji encouraged, patting her shoulder. "You've done well so far since coming to Kakuriyo; this will be no different. Besides," - he turned to share a look with Byakuya before turning back to face her -"you are not alone."

Ginji shot her a supportive smile, which widened when Aoi's angered expression melted off and she finally smiled. Sitting up straight, Aoi moved to grab her tea, enjoying the warmth of the cup as she cradled it in her hands.

She digested their words and realized how true they were, and how childish she was being. Since she was whisked away to from her world to Kakuriyo by Ōdanna-sama, she has done so much, and so much of it was through help from her friends. Reminded of Ōdanna-sama, she recalled the note she had received. Pulling it out, she unfolded it and re-read its content. She was drawn to one particular line.

 _Rely on Ginji and the others if you need help. I am entrusting him to you._

She re-read the line several times. Each time she read it, her conviction became stronger and her previous nervousness dwindled until it was nothing.

After a few minutes, Aoi folded the note and stashed it away once more. When she raised her head, Ginji and Byakuya could see that her usual spark had returned in her eyes as she gave them a smile that was growing in confidence.

They sat still and waited for her to speak, already anticipating her answer.

Finally, after taking the time to steel herself, Aoi said, "Alright, I'll do it."


End file.
